Five years ago, Laura McDowell was given just six weeks to live, but a devoted aunt saved her life with an organ transplant.
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Deirdre O'Gorman gave part of her liver to her niece when Laura was just a baby.
The intensive surgery took place on Friday, August 13, 2010. The surgery went without a hitch and Lola is now 6 years old and enjoying life just like other children her age.
Her mother Aoife, from Dalkey, south Dublin, said Deirdre had been so kind and brave in her efforts to help Laura.
She added: “She felt she was helping her niece.”
She's also a general practitioner, so she has insight into that world.
“She donated 23% of her liver, and by Halloween the following year her liver had grown back.
“She doesn't feel the need for anyone to thank her. She just does what everyone else would have done.”
Brave Lola was diagnosed with biliary atresia at 10 days old – her liver was unable to remove harmful toxins that were slowly eating away at her body.
She was put on the emergency list for a transplant at King's College Hospital in London, but there was a shortage of donors.
Luckily, Deirdre also had the same blood type, so she decided to become a living kidney donor.
The disease affects four babies each year in Ireland but occurs randomly and cannot be predicted.
Before the transplant, the baby must undergo a Kasai operation, in which a loop of intestine is created in place of the bile duct.
The loop can last for as long as 16 years, but for babies like Laura, the results are not so good.
The Kasai procedure is no longer performed here since the only surgeon trained in the procedure passed away three years ago.
Both parents will have to travel to the UK for the operation as Crumlin Hospital was unable to replace the doctor.
Laura's liver is 50 years old and there is no telling how much longer it will last.
Proud parents Aoife and Greg have set up the Irish Paediatric Liver Disease Association and are campaigning for increased aftercare and funding for families.
Aoife said: “The HSE only provides flights for one child and one adult – it's a very isolating experience compared to the level of care you get in hospital.”
“We feel like what people need at a point in their life is help, not another layer of bureaucracy, so we're slowly trying to change that.”
In the past five years, 13 Irish babies with biliary atresia have had transplants in the UK.
Living donor programs allow donors to donate their organs while they are still alive.
To be a living donor, you must be a blood relative and, in the case of a liver transplant, have the same blood type. Because this is a major operation, it is essential that the donor is healthy and in good health.
The rigorous medical examination at the hospital lasts for two days, during which doctors perform everything from X-rays to simple blood tests and mental health tests to check the heart, lungs and other vital organs for signs of disease.
It's a painful operation to recover from, but the good news is that the liver regenerates.
