Mother donates part of liver to toddler son in lifesaving transplant

A mother has donated part of her liver to her toddler son through an innovative surgery technique.

Doctors at King’s College Hospital in London who carried out the procedure said Teddy Nicholls, who is 21 months old, now “has the opportunity to develop as would be normal for any child”.

Teddy was born with a rare inherited condition known as neonatal hemochromatosis, which can cause liver failure in newborns and can be fatal without treatment.

The donation from mother Emma Nicholls is the second life-saving transplant for Teddy.

Being home and reunited as a family in time for Christmas makes us feel so lucky and grateful to everyone at King’s College Hospital

Emma Nicholls

He initially required a transplant to save his life at just 10 weeks old in April 2022, using part of a liver from a deceased donor.

Mrs Nicholls was not able to donate at the time as it was too soon after she had given birth.

The latest procedure was required to increase the blood flow needed for Teddy to survive in the long term.

Doctors at King’s College Hospital used a technique known as a hitch-vein monosegment liver transplant for both operations.

The procedure is when a donor liver – from a person who is dead or alive – is reduced in size to match the dimensions of a baby’s body.

The only alternative would be to wait for a deceased donor liver from another small baby, which King’s College Hospital said is “rare”.

Greg, Teddy, Theo and Emma Nicholls outside King’s College Hospital, London (King’s College London)

Mrs Nicholls, said: “I knew I wanted to do everything possible to help my son, and as a family we were so thankful to the donor and their family who saved Teddy’s life with his first organ transplant that I had no doubts about stepping in when needed.”

Three weeks after the procedure, Teddy has returned home to Cambridgeshire with his mother to enjoy Christmas with father Greg Nicholls and five-year-old brother Theo Nicholls.

Mrs Nicholls added: “I am incredibly grateful to the whole hospital team from the theatres to the wards where we stayed; they’ve been fantastic looking after Teddy and I every step of the way.

“Being home and reunited as a family in time for Christmas makes us feel so lucky and grateful to everyone at King’s College Hospital.”

It is understood that King’s College Hospital usually sees one or two cases of neonatal hemochromatosis every year.

Dr Hector Vilca Melendez, consultant transplant surgeon at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I’m delighted to see Teddy and Emma doing so well, and thanks to his mother’s donation, Teddy has the opportunity to develop as would be normal for any child.

“Seeing Teddy grow from first meeting soon after birth when he was seriously unwell, to now that he’s a happy and vibrant 21 month-old, is a wonderful tribute to the importance of organ donation and the fantastic work of our team at King’s.”