Mum donates liver to son for Royal Free Hospital transplant

Connor Meyrick, 27, received 65 per cent of his mother Michelle’s liver during an arduous 12-hour operation – the first live liver transplant to take place at the Royal Free Hospital in five years.

Connor was born with Caroli’s syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which ultimately may require a liver transplant to prevent fatal complications.

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Ten years ago he discovered he had the condition after seeking treatment at hospital for severe acne.

A blood test to confirm whether he could tolerate the acne medication showed an anomaly in his liver function which led to his diagnosis.

Connor Meyrick and his mum Michelle after the life saving liver transplant at Royal Free Hospital (Image: RFH)

Despite being placed on the transplant list three years ago, Connor found himself missing out multiple times on a donor liver.

Connor said: “Psychologically missing out on the transplant each time was extremely difficult to deal with.

“As the years passed the symptoms got worse. I was very fatigued, suffered from under the skin itching, crazy headaches, awful acne and because I was jaundiced my skin was very yellow."

It also affected the engineer's career. He always had to be within two hours of hospital, which affected his ability to do his job. After going part-time and keeping to desk work it reached a point where he could no longer do that. 

Last September, doctors at the Pond Street hospital raised the prospect of a live liver transplant.

Currently just three in 100 liver transplants performed in the UK are from living donors and the majority of these are for children.

Connor’s mum Michelle, 54, had the same blood type as her son, so she was considered an appropriate candidate and agreed to go ahead with the donation.

But there were fears that because she is smaller than her son at just 5ft 1in, her liver might not be big enough.

Eventually it was confirmed it was suitable and after five months of tests, the mother and son finally got the thumbs up.

Michelle spent over six hours on the operating table where the living donor operation was carried out by surgeon Satheesh Iype.

Both Connor and Michelle are now recovering at the family home in Swindon.

“Frankly I would have done anything for Connor," said Michelle. "He was worried about putting me through a major operation and it was me that had to persuade him that this was the right thing for everyone and that if the shoe had been on the other foot I know he’d have done it for me.

“Knowing that I’ll be able to let him go off without worrying about how far he is from a hospital means everything.

Michelle Meyrick gave her son Connor 65% of her liver to save his life and they are both now recovering at home in Swindon (Image: Royal Free Hospital)

"I’m feeling better day by day and I have no regrets. I’d make the same decision in a heartbeat."

It will take two to three months for Michelle's liver to grow back to its former size.

Thanking the Royal Free staff, Michelle said she would return to her job in HR once she is fully recovered.

Connor’s former liver, which had swelled to more than double the average size, has been preserved to be used as a university teaching tool. 

He thanked "everyone who has played their part in my recovery".

“It feels amazing to be able to plan after so long and I’ve already booked tickets for a gig in Liverpool, seeing the comedian Jimmy Carr and a trip to Newbury Races. Who knows, I might be able to finally go abroad again in the not too distant future!”

Connor’s surgeon, Professor Joerg-Matthias Pollok, said: "For patients like Connor the option for live liver donation should be there. For the surgeon, if the liver comes from a live donor the blood vessels are smaller and shorter and therefore it’s a more technically challenging operation to undertake.”

Michelle’s surgeon, Mr Iype, said living donor liver donations "requires meticulous surgical planning" adding: "Demand for live liver donation will rise in the UK because of newer indications for liver transplant – such as colonic or neuroendocrine cancer which has spread to the liver, which does not have a standard surgical option.”