Okhmatdyt performed its 100th transplant on a child: the aunt donated a portion of her liver to 10-month-old Khrystyna

At the National Specialized Children’s Hospital “Okhmatdyt,” surgeons performed the 100th organ transplant on a child: they transplanted a liver to 10-month-old Khrystyna from the Volyn region, for whom the procedure was the only chance at life.

The hospital reported that the first worrying signs appeared when the girl was only five months old: her parents noticed yellowing of the skin and eyes, loss of appetite and lethargy, and initial examinations raised suspicion of biliary atresia, which was ultimately not confirmed at Okhmatdyt.

Despite this, the jaundice and signs of liver failure did not subside, her condition remained critically severe, and for three months doctors simultaneously supported the child with intensive therapy while searching for the cause of the disease.

The decisive factor was molecular genetic diagnostics, carried out with the support of the Good Donations charitable foundation and Ukrainian musician Yevhen Halych; the analysis revealed progressive liver cirrhosis and confirmed that only an urgent transplant could save the child.

The donor was Khrystyna’s paternal aunt, since the mother could not donate — she is a carrier of the same genetic defect that caused her daughter’s illness.

The operation lasted more than 12 hours and ended successfully; the surgical team was supported by anesthesiologists who provided intraoperative care and monitored the donor’s condition after the intervention.

“When I saw my daughter after the operation, her eyes were already bright. She looked completely different — active and lively. I had no words to express my gratitude to the doctors who gave my daughter a chance at life,” said Khrystyna’s mother, Valentyna.

After the transplant the girl recovered successfully and has already returned home, and Okhmatdyt emphasized that the 100 pediatric transplants have become a landmark event and evidence of the rapid development of pediatric transplantology in Ukraine.

Earlier we wrote:

• A deceased woman’s family gave a chance at life to four critically ill patients
• When it seemed impossible, Ukrainian medics launched a helicopter and rescued a teenager
• In Kyiv, 13-year-old Ivan posthumously saved four lives through donation
• The death of a 4-year-old girl became a rescue: in Kyiv three children were saved thanks to donation
• A four-year-old boy saved three lives after his death