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Dad Risks Life To Give Daughter His Liver
Most parents say we’d give our lives for our kids. But father Ed Green, a British farmer, truly did put his life at risk for his youngest daughter, Amelia.
Shortly after Amelia was born in 2008, doctors discovered she had a rare condition called biliary atresia, which means the bile ducts are destroyed or not functioning, allowing bile to damage the liver. She was given only weeks to live unless she got a liver transplant. And complicating that, her blood type was so rare it was unlikely a liver that matched could be found before it was too late.
That’s when Ed stepped up, asking if it would be possible to take some of his liver so that she might survive. Livers (along with kidneys) are among the only organs that can be donated by living people, because the liver will regenerate itself fairly quickly if some of the organ is removed
Test began on Ed in January. By February it was determined Ed was a match, and surgery was scheduled. Amelia’s mother, Roberta,
said Ed’s goodbye to her and their daughter before being wheeled in to the operating room was emotional, because she knew that if anything went wrong that would be the last time they’d see each other. Liver donation surgery is 30 times more risky than kidney donation surgery.
Amelia is now 17 months old and thriving, and dad and daughter share a very special bond. As for Ed, he says the whole thing was worth the fear: “It was scary, but the thought that I would be burying my daughter in a few month’s time without a transplant overrode every fear I had.”
Sniff.
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2 Comments
Lville commented on Dec 08 09 at 11:18 amAs the parent of a toddler with Biliary Atresia, thank you for running this great story! All the best to Amelia and her dad.
edro commented on Mar 18 11 at 1:02 pmWAY TO GO DAD!!!!
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