A five-year-old girl underwent a liver transplant at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital after the parents of a two and half-year-old brain-dead girl donated her organ.

Rahi Parkia, the only daughter of a Surat couple was diagnosed with Tyrosinemia Type 1, a rare inborn error of metabolism resulting in increased levels of tyrosine (an essential amino acid. This defect has the potential of affecting multiple organs. Untreated disease leads to liver cancer which is lethal.

Rahi had cirrhosis, hypertension, and kidney damage accompanied by growth failure. The only possible lifesaving treatment option for her was a timely liver transplant.

Though she is five-year-old, she weighs only 15 kg, the weight of a 2-3-year-old. She also had a bone deformity and her kidneys were getting affected.

Rahi was put on the cadaver organ wait list 10 days ago. The doctor said that a majority of pediatric liver transplants in our country are done using a small part of the liver of an adult donor.

In Rahi's case, her father had been diagnosed with a type of lymphatic cancer and the mother is the caretaker for both of them. Neither could donate the liver. Hence, was put on the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre, wait list.

On Jul 18, the family was informed about the possible cadaver liver. The child was suffering from chronic kidney disease and her parents were taking her to the hospital for treatment when she suffered a stroke. A doctor at the hospital said since their daughter had chronic kidney disease, they were aware of the importance and agreed to donate her liver and cornea. The rest of the organs were not fit for donation.

This is the second pediatric cadaver organ donation of the year. In June, the parents of a three-year-old boy from Dombivli donated his heart, liver, and kidneys. The city recorded the youngest pediatric cadaver donation in February 2019 of a two-year-old boy.

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Reference:

• hindustantimes.com