@c5news: A dad who donated part of his liver and bowel to his six-year-old son in an "extremely rare" transplant has described it as the "greatest privilege" of his life. Harry Jackson, who was born with malrotation, an abnormality of the bowel that occurs when the baby is developing in the womb, is believed to be one of only around 10 children worldwide to undergo the procedure. The abnormality meant Harry was at risk of volvulus, a potentially life-threatening complication of malrotation that occurs when the bowel twists, cutting off the blood supply to that part of the bowel. He also developed intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), a progressive liver condition caused by years of receiving an intravenous form of feeding to manage his condition. Harry’s dad Gary Jackson was a found to be a compatible match for the transplant and in January last year he underwent a 17-hour operation to donate 20% of his liver and 1.5m (4-5ft) of his small bowel to his son. Mr Jackson, who had to lose six stone before the operation, said: "When you're a parent, you'd give your child anything in a heartbeat. "So, when I was told I could donate part of my liver and bowel to Harry, there was never a decision to make. "I was just incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to do something that could help save his life and give our little boy a second chance." He said doing this for his son, “remains the greatest privilege of my life".

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Wednesday 02 September 2026 11:48:09 GMT