Family's joy after mother saves life of her toddler son through liver transplant
Emma Nicholls talks about the family's happiness at spending Christmas together after she donated part of her liver to her young son, Teddy.
A mother who saved her son's life after donating part of her liver has described the family's joy after they were able to enjoy Christmas.
Teddy Nicholls, from Ramsey in Huntingdonshire, who is 21 months old, was born with a rare inherited condition known as neonatal hemochromatosis, which can cause liver failure in newborns and can be fatal.
Doctors from King's College Hospital London first carried out a transplant when he was just 10 weeks old, in April 2022, using part of a liver from a donor who had died using an innovative technique known as "hitch-vein monosegment".
He then had a second transplant after he had gained weight. Surgeons used part of the liver from his mother, Emma Nicholls, to help increase the blood flow needed for Teddy to survive long-term.
He returned home three weeks before Christmas.
Mrs Nicholls said: "We couldn't have asked for anymore. It's something we didn't dream of happening. When you are there you don't know how long you are going to be there."
She added they were counting down to when he could come home adding "none of us believed it" when the doctors said they could be discharged.
The mother of two, who also has a five-year-old son called Theo, said it was "amazing" and everyone was "so happy" to celebrate Christmas.
"He's doing so well. Everything's looking positive," said Mrs Nichols.
Her husband, Greg, said: "It was so hard to see him like that. I had to stay strong for the eldest boy, for Emma, for Teddy.
"There's such a difference in him since second transplant. Now it feels so much easier."
He added that Teddy will always be on medication throughout his life.
Doctors who carried out the surgery said the youngster now "has the opportunity to develop as would be normal for any child".
Mrs Nicholls was not able to donate her liver for the first transplant as it was too soon after she had given birth.
She added: "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."
Dr Hector Vilca Melendez, consultant transplant surgeon, 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."
King’s College Hospital usually sees one or two cases of neonatal hemochromatosis every year.
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