Bravery of Sarah will encourage others to be donors
Now, 11 days after their surgeries, mum and son are both doing well. Joe is still on intravenous drugs and being fed through a tube, but he has moved from intensive care to a high-dependency ward. When the Sunday People went to visit him yesterday, he was well enough to be wheeled in a chair to the ward’s playroom.
Yesterday, he also got to see his brother Max,12, and sister, Eve, 10, who flew from the family’s home in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, to see him for the first time since his transplant. Sarah, 36, said of his recovery: “He is slowly getting there.
“He’s still got discomfort from where they operated. But, importantly, there is no sign of rejection of my liver.
“His recovery will be slow because he has no kidneys and is still on dialysis. This is just the first stage of curing my little boy. He needs a kidney and then he will be like any other four year old.”
Sarah, who has a ten-inch scar after her eight-hour operation, has no doubts about undergoing surgery again to donate her kidney to Joe, hopefully as soon as May.
She said: “I’ve been there and done it once and now I’m ready to do it again. This was the tougher and more dangerous of the two [operations].
“So much of my energy has been focused on helping Joe that Max and Eve, are having to grow up fast. I’ve been torn between wanting to do the best for all my kids. As I went down for the anaesthetic, I couldn’t help thinking that I could be saving Joe and possibly leaving them all orphaned if I died donating.”
Experts have praised Sarah’s bravery and said her selflessness will encourage others to consider becoming live donors. Paulo Muiesan, who removed the section of liver from Sarah said: “She’s a very courageous lady. Shehe has not only Joe to think about bout but her two older children.en.
“We cannot be seen n to be putting pressure on people to be live donors, particurticularly when they are single parents like Sarah, but it was she who came to us saying she wanted to o give.”
Khalid Sharif, Joe’s’s transplant surgeon said: “What a magnificent lady. She he has been so determined to help Joe. He was onn our list for a liver and needed one sooner than later, but we can never be sure when we will get a dead donor organ.
“There are always more children needing transplants than organs.
“Transplantation from a live liver donor is rare but not uncommon. What is particularly unique in this case is that Sarah will be offering both her kidney and part of her liver, as a combined donation. The courage of parents and relatives who give organs to loved ones is a real inspiration to our teams,” Mr Sharif said.
“We know the conversations around this can be very difficult, but offering that gift of life really improves the chances for children like Joe, who need life-saving operations.”
“We’re delighted with the progress Joe has made following his transplant.
Positive
“Our specialist teams will continue to monitor him closely over the coming days but early signs are very positive.
“We’re hopeful he’ll be able to go home to his family in the next week or two.
Mairead Ritchie, of the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation, said: “Sarah has shown what can be done. Every year we lose children who don’t get a donor. Live donation is so important.”
Live donation is a complex process involving two teams of surgeons. To ensure the highest chances of success, speed