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ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 According to AdventHealth, a four-year-old boy is alive because of a breakthrough liver transplant through AdventHealth\u2019s new living donor liver transplant program. Officials say a 23-year-old woman \u2014 who had never met the child \u2014 volunteered to donate part of her liver after seeing his story on Facebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that I was able to help, not only him but (also) his family is really a blessing,\u201d said donor, Sophie Byroade. \u201cI guess, technically, I gave him the gift of life and it\u2019s just kind of surreal that I did that. It\u2019s very cool! And the staff (at AdventHealth Transplant Institute) is amazing. If I were to do this again, I wouldn\u2019t go anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
The procedure happened at the AdventHealth Transplant Institute in Orlando. <\/p>\n
Hospital officials said the surgery marks the first living donor liver transplant performed through the new program. <\/p>\n
AdventHealth said living donor transplantation allows patients to receive a transplant sooner rather than waiting for a deceased donor organ. This expands access to lifesaving, whole-person care for patients across Central Florida and throughout the state.<\/p>\n
Officials say during a living donor transplant, surgeons remove a portion of a healthy donor\u2019s liver and transplant it into the recipient. The liver regenerates, allowing both the donor\u2019s and recipient\u2019s livers to grow back to full size within weeks<\/p>\n
Click here<\/a> to learn more about becoming a living liver donor or to refer a patient. <\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here<\/a> to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.<\/p>\n