Teddy Houlston: The baby who live for 100 minutes - and became Britain's youngest donor
Procedure hailed as 'nothing short of a miracle' as Teddy Houlston's kidneys are given to patient suffering from renal failure
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Your support makes all the difference.A baby who lived for just 100 minutes has become the UK’s youngest organ donor.
Teddy Houlston was born with a fatal condition and his parents knew that he would die shortly after birth, so they decided to offer his organs to someone else, The Daily Mirror reported.
At first, doctors did not think it would be possible to transplant organs from such a young baby. However the child’s parents persevered and eventually a way was found.
Teddy, born shortly after his twin Noah, died last year but his transplanted kidneys are now in the body of a patient who suffered from renal failure.
His mother, Jess Evans, told the Mirror: “When he [Teddy] was taken away, there was so much sadness. But there was also so much joy.”
Angharad Griffiths, a specialist nurse in organ donation with NHS Blood and Transplant, said the procedure was “nothing short of a miracle”.
“I was overwhelmed by their [the parents’] passion for donation. We didn’t know what the potential for organ donation was at that stage,” she said.
“But despite all of that uncertainty, the barriers we might face, they were still adamant that this was what they wanted to pursue. And so I vowed that I would try and do that for them.”
Consultant surgeon Niaz Ahmad, who transplanted the organs into the renal patient, said: “The recipient of Teddy’s kidneys now has four kidneys inside their body.
“You might think that sounds like a lot of organs to fit inside the body, but actually our bodies possess an incredible ability to adapt and make room for necessary new organs, if needs be.
“Teddy’s parents, quite rightly, are immensely proud of what their little boy has achieved.”
Teddy’s family are raising money for South Wales bereavement services charity 2 Wish Upon A Star in his memory and to raise awareness of organ donation.
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