Lola Cartwright has spent most of the first year of her life at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), but after a long battle the brave one-year-old is finally ready to go home.
Lola was born with a liver condition called Biliary Atresia, which affects just one in 15,000-20,000 children. Over the last six-months she has endured intensive treatment at the RCH, culminating in a liver transplant.
RCH gastroenterologist, Dr George Alex said about 30 per cent of those diagnosed with Biliary Atresia needed a liver transplant in the first year of their lives because the condition progressed rapidly.
Lola’s parents Kelly and Leigh Cartwright said there could be no better start to the new year than to have their only child well and back at home. “It will be amazing to finally go home and start a normal life,” said mum Kelly.
The RCH has performed a total of nine liver transplants this year. In October we celebrated the 100th liver transplant since the first was performed at the RCH in 1995.
To register to become an organ donor visit the Australian Organ Donor Register website.
Click here to read the full story on Lola on the Herald Sun website.