A STUDENT has saved the life of a baby girl by donating part of her own liver.

Twenty-year-old Hannah Ford offered to become a living donor despite being a total stranger to the seriously ill child.

Hannah, from Ben Rhydding, near Ilkley, underwent potentially dangerous surgery – but now she and the young girl are both doing well.

The amazing act of altruism was sparked by an appeal for a donor to save the life of desperately ill Ilkley restaurateur Luigi Pignanelli. More than 100 people came forward – including Hannah, who is studying veterinary medicine at Glasgow university. In the end a live donor wasn’t needed because a liver became available.

Hannah, a former Ilkley Grammar School pupil, said: “A few weeks into testing I was told that Luigi had found a liver and his transplant had gone really well but I continued with my testing as I knew there were lots of people still waiting for a liver transplant. I was told at this point by the hospital that if I was approved as an organ donor I might be donating to a child which was really exciting.

“I was approved as a donor at the end of November 2017 and we scheduled my surgery for the week before Christmas when I came home from uni for my Christmas holiday. I didn’t know anything about who my liver would be going to at this point as they only choose the day before or on the day of the surgery, but the surgeons had planned to take part of the smaller left lobe of my liver so we knew that it would be going to a child.

“On the day of the surgery at Leeds St James I was told my liver was going to be going to a baby girl which I was really excited to hear. When I woke up my co-ordinator told me the surgery had gone really well for both of us. At my post-op check up I heard she was doing really well and had gone home. I was out of hospital for Christmas and back in Glasgow two and a half weeks later for the start of the semester.”

All living donors are warned about the possibility of potential risks but Hannah never doubted her decision, and she had the support of her family.

“My family were very supportive, obviously they were nervous when the day came as I think it suddenly seemed very real. But they knew how thorough the medical and psychological evaluations that I had before I was approved to donate were and they knew I was in really good hands,” she said.

“We were told the risk of dying in an operation like this was about 1 in 200 but because they were taking a small chunk of my liver to go in a baby the surgeon said the risk was probably significantly lower, so that gave us all confidence.

“I never really had any doubts, and even as I walked into theatre I felt very confident. I think because I have seen loads of surgeries (and even done some myself) through my course and because I knew the team operating on me from my evaluation none of it seemed that scary.

“After the surgery I was quite sore and in hospital for five days but I never regretted it. I was just glad that I had been able to help a family in some way and grateful to the amazing team at St James who made it possible.”

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Hannah now wants to do more to help people suffering from liver disease and to spread awareness about organ donation.

She has decided to run the Edinburgh half marathon in May to raise money for the British Liver Trust and to persuade people to join the organ donor register.

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/hannah-ford24 to sponsor Hannah or to find out more.

See organdonation.nhs.uk//register-to-donate/register-your-details/ to find out more about becoming an organ donor.