Father and son make medical history - double transplant

[okarol]

Father and son make medical history - double transplant

Published: 6:13PM Wednesday April 01, 2009

A young boy's life has been saved by his father, making medical history in New Zealand.

Eleven-year-old Jessie Pycroft has become the youngest New Zealander to get a double transplant.

He received a kidney and liver from his dad, the first to donate two live organs.

Jessie was born with a rare genetic enzyme defect which slowly destroyed his liver and then kidneys.
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"If he hadn't had the surgery he would've eventually died of his underlying disease," says Dr Helen Evans, paediatric gastroenterologist.

"Something had to be done. Like any parent would do for their child. I hadn't thought much about it. I just put my hand up and that was it," says Jessie's father Wayne Pycroft.

A double live donor operation had never been attempted in New Zealand before.

"The risk can be as high as one in 200 to the life of the patient to donate a piece of liver but in a case like this it would be that risk plus the small add-on risk of donating a kidney as well," says Dr Stephen Munn, transplant surgeon.

Early one morning last November, Wayne was wheeled into theatre to have first his left liver lobe removed, then his right kidney, taking seven hours.

Then Jessie was wheeled into a theatre next door to receive them, an operation which took a further 22 hours and at least 50 theatre staff.

But things did not go as smoothly as hoped.

"We worked for many hours, many hours longer than we anticipated to try and hook up the artery and the piece of liver from his father and we were not successful in hooking up that artery despite five attempts," says Munn.

Jessie recovered but only to nearly lose the fight again just before Christmas.

An infection took hold and Jessie's heart stopped beating for several minutes.

"I'm not a religious person but I was just praying to God in my mind, this is my child and I want him around you know," says Jessie's mother Faith Pycroft.

Jessie has battled back from the brink and is now up to playing April fool's jokes on the staff.

His prognosis looks good.

"The liver disease has been cured," says Evans.

For his family it has been worth all the pain.

"He's a really brave boy and he's fought the odds," says Wayne.

http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/father-and-son-make-medical-history-2610450