Surgeons in Leeds involved in transplant on youngest ever donor
Surgeons at a hospital in Leeds have performed a record breaking organ transplant, using organs from the youngest ever donor.
Baby Teddy was just 100 minutes old when he died, but before long his kidneys and heart valves were crucial in saving the life of a stranger.
Teddy's parents, Jess Evans and Mike Houlston, knew that their son, who was one of twins, was seriously ill before his birth. They made the heartbreaking decision to donate his organs and help someone they might never meet.
Twelve weeks into Jess' pregnancy, Teddy was diagnosed with anecephaly, meaning he would either be stillborn or die shortly after birth. The condition meant that his skull had not formed properly, doctors offered an abortion but Jess and Mike refused.
Organ donation in small babies remains extremely rare, but Teddy's parents are hoping their story could change attitudes and they have already helped change NHS policy which could make it easier for parents in future to make the same choice Jess and Mike did.
The previous youngest donor was a six-day-old baby girl who was never identified.
As Jess approached her due date, the couple's specialist nurse in organ donation for NHS Blood and Transplant, Angharad Griffiths, contacted three centres around the country to see who might be able to take some of Teddy's organs for a transplant.
Two refused, but staff at St James's University Hospital in Leeds said they would help.
Teddy was born in hospital in Cardiff, passed away 100 minutes later and within hours his kidneys and heart valves were on the 230 mile journey to Leeds where a team of surgeons were ready with a patient who had renal failure.
The transplant operation got the green light and, at 5.15am the following morning, consultant surgeon Niaz Ahmad began work.
He praised the couple's bravery in making the decision and says he hopes it can lead to more surgeries like this in future:
Now, a year on from Teddy's death, his twin Noah, 1, and step sister Billie, 3, the family are able to remember their son with fondness. The couple are raising money for the charity 2 Wish Upon a Star, which aims to improve bereavement services for parents who lose babies or children.