TESTIMONY My best friend saved my son’s life by giving him part of his liver
Who to turn to when the world seems to be opening up under your feet? When Lauren Beckett, scared and upset by what she had just learned about her son Tommy, called her best friend, she needed a shoulder to cry on.
But Lauren was far from imagining that Kayleigh would bring her much more, offering her son, suffering from a rare disease, a new life.
A devastating diagnosis
At the beginning of 2022, Lauren and Callum Harknett, 22, learn that they will become parents. Delighted, the couple sees their first child, Tommy, born on October 31. But only twelve hours after his birth, the little boy, cooled, weakened, starts jaundice. The doctors then transferred him to an intensive care unit. After several tests, it becomes clear that Tommy suffers from troubles at liver. He is only two weeks old when the diagnosis falls.
Find a donor
Suffering from neonatal hemochromatosis — a disease causing excess iron in his liver and other parts of the body — Tommy cannot survive without a transplant of a new liver and is immediately placed on a list of transplants urgent. “ I felt numb and helpless “confided Lauren to the newspaper Mirror. “ I remember thinking that if something were to happen to Tommy, I couldn’t go on living she added. The hospital launches an appeal to find a compatible donor. Over two hundred people show up, including family members, friends and a 13-year-old cousin of Lauren’s.
The desire to help
Unfortunately, none are found to be compatible with Tommy. The deliverance comes from Kayleigh, 34, mother of two, Lauren’s friend for six years. “ We get along so well because we both like the simple things in life explained Lauren. Suffering from Gilbert’s Syndrome, a mild liver condition that can cause jaundice, Kayleigh did not initially show up fearing she might not be a suitable donor. But faced with her friend’s distress, she changed her mind.
Not strong enough for grafting
If the first tests proved that she could be compatible, Kayleigh accepted the graft before the final results came back, as Tommy’s condition had rapidly deteriorated. “ I was afraid for Tommy. Honestly, I never thought anything would happen to me. The odds were against Tommy, I was terrified he wouldn’t wake up confided Kayleigh. Indeed, a week before the operation, the doctors feared that the little boy was not strong enough for a transplant. On December 17, Kayleigh and Tommy underwent surgery at King’s College Hospital. Before entering the operating room, Lauren holds Kayleigh’s hand. “ She kept saying “Don’t worry about me, just worry about Tommy” Lauren pointed out.
A new life
Part of Kayleigh’s liver was removed to later be fitted into Tommy’s body. For eight long hours, Lauren and Callum waited for news. Five days later, Kayleigh left the hospital. Tommy had to wait a few more weeks. Since then, the little boy is doing great and hitting milestones that doctors didn’t think he would after being in a hospital bed for the first two months of his life explained his mother.
An incredible bond
Between Kayleigh and Tommy, the connection is, according to Lauren, “incredible”. “She saved him and I can’t thank her enough. I felt relieved, grateful, scared, speechless — all possible emotions she was moved. Kayleigh, she noted about her bond with Tommy: “ It’s not something I have with my own children, it’s a totally different feeling, like a dire need to protect him “. And did not fail to conclude “ People said what I did was amazing and Lauren and her family were absolutely amazing. They never have to thank me. It’s just a relief to know he’s okay now “.
