A one year old toddler diagnosed with end stage rare congenital disorder has successfully undergone a liver transplant procedure at Apollo hospitals, Maharashtra, becoming the youngest patient to ever undergo such a procedure.

A critically ill one-year-old from Gujarat underwent a liver transplant at a private hospital here recently and is doing fine, according to the doctors of the hospital. The surgery in February was performed after the baby boy's aunt donated a part of her liver, the doctors said and claimed that he was the youngest child to undergo such a procedure in Maharashtra. "The toddler was diagnosed with end stage liver disease due to a rare congenital condition called 'Biliary Atresia', which progressed to advanced liver cirrhosis within months of his birth," Dr Darius F Mirza, Head of Liver Transplant unit of the Apollo Hospital, said at a press conference.

"Biliary atresia is a rare disease in newborns where the liver's bile ducts are absent and requires early surgical correction, which only works in 40 per cent of cases," he said. Mirza and some other doctors addressed the press conference today when the baby came for a check-up. The child was discharged last week. Arranging funds for the transplant, which costs a huge amount, was difficult for the child's 32-year-old father who works as a construction mixer supplier. This is when an NGO called Transplants Help the Poor Foundation stepped in.

The surgery was possible after a combination of charitable donations from the NGO, some funding arranged by the family and crowd funding. Contributions from Tata Foundation Trust and a grant from the Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai CSR unit made up the difference, allowing the baby to have his life saving transplant. Commenting on their experience, the baby's mother said, "knowing that our child was going through all this at such a tender age was stressful and traumatic. The cost of the surgery was giving us sleepless nights."

Grateful to the doctors and the donors, she said, "I am indebted to my sister who came forward to donate a part of her liver. I wish and pray for her speedy recovery." Dr Narendra Trivedi, CEO, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, "Not many know this, but liver is the only organ that grows by itself, even after donation of a part of it."