Six-month-old beats rare liver disease after transplant powered by infant donor’s gift

Under the leadership of Dr Shiraz Ahmad Rather and Dr Shabeerali T U, Dhriya underwent a high-risk, 12-hour transplant.

Dr M I Sahadulla, chairman and managing director, KIMSHEALTH, joins Dhriya’s parents Vidya and Baiju Kumar, along with members of the transplant team, in cutting a cake to mark the success of the landmark donor-recipient journey. (Photo | Express)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dhriya, a six-month-old baby born with a life-threatening liver disease, has returned home healthy after a successful transplant made possible by baby Aalin, the youngest organ donor in the country.

Diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare condition affecting one in 70,000 newborns worldwide, Dhriya had earlier undergone Kasai surgery but continued to suffer severe complications including portal hypertension and refractory ascites.

She was then referred to KIMSHEALTH, where a liver transplant was advised as the only viable option to save her life. Under the leadership of Dr Shiraz Ahmad Rather and Dr Shabeerali T U, Dhriya underwent a high-risk, 12-hour transplant.

“This was an extraordinarily challenging surgery given the ages of both donor and recipient. Yet, as a team, we embraced the challenge to restore hope and joy to Dhriya’s parents,” said Dr Shiraz Ahmad Rather, Consultant & Head of Multivisceral Transplant, Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic & Liver Transplant Surgery.

Thanks to Aalin’s extraordinary gift and the expertise of a multidisciplinary team, Dhriya’s liver function has now stabilised, and she is thriving.