Grandmother's Gift Of Life
Doctors say the prognosis is good for an infant who received an unusual organ transplant. In Los Angeles, Correspondent Ann Martin of CBS Station KCBS reports on a baby who received a partial liver transplant from her grandmother.
The fact that six-month-old Lydia Hand is sitting in her grandmother's lap is a miracle, her family says. Just three weeks ago, Lydia and her grandmother, Sherry Marquez, underwent simultaneous operations, with Lydia receiving a lobe from her grandmother's liver.
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| Sherry Marquez |
When she was just six weeks old, Lydia was diagnosed with a liver condition which caused cirrhosis, jaundice, and growth retardation. "One day she was healthy, the next day they were worried about her," says Lydia's mother Nicole.
This type of transplant has been attempted only about 1,000 times in the past. But doctors at both University of Southern California University Hospital and Childrens Hospital in Hollywood say that without it, Lydia would have died.
Surgeons say the piece of liver that Lydia's grandmother donated is the left lateral segment, which is approximately 25 percent of the liver. That portion was a perfect fit for the child.
Grandmother Sherry Marquez, daughter Nicole, and son-in-law Scott Hand say their prayers were answered.
"I felt like she had a part of me from the beginning," Marquez says.
"We feel relieved," Scott Hand says. "She has a liver and she's healthy and happy."
Reported By Ann Martin