Galway baby recovering in London after liver transplant

Date Published: {J}

By Denise McNamara

A 10-month-old girl whose mother donated part of her liver to save her baby’s life is in a stable condition after suffering a setback five days after the major operation in London.

Baby Ieva (pronounced Eva) from Rahoon underwent the transplant a week ago in King’s College Hospital. Her mother Kristina Zukaskaute donated one fifth of her liver for the operation, which if successful will mean Baby Ieva can live a normal life.

Kristina’s employer Louise Blade, who runs the Sewing Studios on Shop Street, said everything was going to plan until Saturday when a leakage was discovered in one of the baby’s bile ducts.

This was repaired and her medical team say she is currently stable. She is currently on a ventilator and steadily improving. They will continue to monitor her closely and hope there will be no further hiccups as a result of the complex procedure.

Little Ieva was just a month old when Kristina brought her in to meet colleagues at her workplace where she has toiled at a sewing machine for seven years.

Under the bright lights of the Sewing Studios, Louise noticed that the baby’s eyes were a luminous yellow. She urged Kristina to immediately visit a GP, who referred her on to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin.

She was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a rare disease which causes a blockage in bile ducts. If she had gone a week longer without treatment, she would have suffered irreparable damage.

She had two operations in Dublin which failed to correct her condition. A transplant was deemed to be the only option to save her life.

Kristina was chosen as the donor because they share a rare blood type. Within days of the partial liver graft, the organ regenerates and she was up and walking around almost immediately.

The HSE are paying for Ieva’s medical treatment in London but her parents have to stump up for travel and living expenses. Kristina has been off work for nearly a year, while her husband Andrew has also been on long-term leave from his factory job in Spiddal for the lengthy hospital spells.

The couple, originally from Lithuania, met in Galway and also have a daughter, Laura, 12, who is currently being cared for in Rahoon by Kristina’s mother.

So far the people of Galway have donated €12,000 to a fund set up to help the family.

Baby Ieva is likely to be in a hospital for several months and on a lot of anti-rejection medication.

Louise said Kristina is like a daughter. Her own daughter, Audrey Cassidy, is Ieva’s godmother.

“We’re so close, she’s a fabulous girl. Our customers really miss her, they’ve been fantastic for giving donations. One friend of mine put in €1,000 to start if off. Her own people from Lithuania have been generous and the factory where Andrew works raised €5,000 from within the company,” explained Louise.

The Baby Ieva Fund is open at AIB, Lynch’s Castle. The account number is 33233063 and the branch number is 937096.