‘My champ’ – mother hails brave boy Charlie (9) after life-altering liver transplant
YOUNG Charlie Lynch celebrated Easter in a London hospital where he is recovering from a lifechanging liver transplant.
Just days after the operation, brave Charlie (9) was sitting up and smiling in his bed in King’s College Hospital in London.
He had been in Britain waiting for a liver to become available, and his mother Helen said: “He could not afford to wait any longer for his transplant.”
Charlie was born with a rare disease and his new liver will give him a chance at a normal life.
Ms Lynch said: “The doctors were so happy with him he was out of ICU and onto a normal ward three days after the operation. He is my champ. It’s been a long hard journey but we finally got here. My baby has a chance at a new life and for that I’m forever thankful.”
She is calling on everyone to consider being an organ donor and said: “I have yet to shake the hand of the donor family but I know when I do I’ll cry because they have given my child his life back.”
Charlie can now look forward to returning home to Co Offaly. His mother added that the support they had received over the years had been amazing. She said: “Tullamore is my home town and never would I have thought that so many from there would support us the way they did.
“We are very grateful. I know a lot of people in that town and throughout Ireland, Wales and England and the support we have received from you all has been overwhelming.”
This week is Organ Donor Awareness Week.
The HSE reported that last year there were a recordbreaking 311 organ transplants from 99 deceased donors carried out in Ireland, an increase of 11pc on 2016.
Kidney transplants from deceased donation have increased to 141, and there were also 151 living donor kidney transplants.