Girl, 6, with rare liver disorder gets ‘gift of life’ after transplant | UK | News


A schoolgirl who has a rare liver disorder has been given the gift of life (Image: SWNS)

A schoolgirl who has a rare liver disorder has been given the gift of life – after having an organ transplant.

Teighan Whitfield, six, was diagnosed with biliary atresia – a condition that means one of her bile ducts was narrow, blocked or absent – when she was six weeks old.

The youngster has been on the organ donation waiting list since August last year but previously had two operations cancelled.

However, she had surgery to get the life-saving gift of a new liver in February and was able to go back to her home in Haydock, Merseyside, on Wednesday (March 13).

Mum Danielle Whitfield, 40, says she is “so proud” of the schoolgirl and is glad she now has a new lease of life.

The youngster has been on the organ donation waiting list since August last year (Image: SWNS)

She said: “She’s done amazing, I’m just so proud of her.

“Since March we had seen her health decline, she had reduced mobility and was visibly struggling.

“Though she’s always had this, it was only recently we really saw her looking poorly.

“Having to give her over to doctors to perform an eight or nine-hour surgery was so hard but thanks to the organ donor and their family she is here.”

Mum Danielle Whitfield, 40, says she is “so proud” of the schoolgirl (Image: SWNS)

When Teighan was born, she had jaundice – which causes a baby’s skin and the whites of their eyes to turn yellow.

The jaundice then went away but she was diagnosed again, which led to her being diagnosed with biliary atresia.

The youngster then underwent an operation called a Kasai operation – a type of surgery to remove the diseased bile ducts to the base of the liver.

Danielle says that despite a few hospital visits, Teighan has been doing well in the last six years but they always knew she would eventually need a liver transplant.

She said: “When she was born, she had jaundice.

“It went but then the jaundice returned so the doctors sent us to our local hospital for tests.

“We were then referred straight to Leeds for more hospital – where it was confirmed she had biliary atresia.

“She underwent an urgent operation called the kasai operation three days later.

When Teighan was born, she had jaundice (Image: SWNS)

“Since then and despite constant monitoring and being more susceptible to infections which has led to a few short hospital visits, she’s been okay.

“We knew she’d eventually need a liver transplant.

“She had regular monitoring in Leeds every six months but in March last year, our normal clinic appointment led to them finding three nodules on her liver.

“Specialists know that these nodules can often become cancerous and so they decided the best thing was for her to have a transplant.”

Danielle wants to thank Leeds Children’s Hospital in West Yorks (Image: SWNS)

Danielle wants to thank Leeds Children’s Hospital in West Yorks,. and the donor’s family because they have ‘saved her daughter.’

She also wants to urge others to consider organ donation because without this surgery, she ‘wouldn’t have known’ what Teighan’s future would look like.

The mum-of-four said: “The donor family is always on my mind.

“I know you don’t have long to decide whether or not to donate so to know they lost their loved one but part of them has saved my daughter means everything.

She also wants to urge others to consider organ donation (Image: SWNS)

“Without this surgery, we don’t know what the future would have looked like for Teighan.

“Now she’s recovering for the next three months in isolation but she is here and recovering and that’s all because of organ donation.

“I’m just so proud of her, she’s been through so much, she’s a star.”



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