Kian Evans ‘was like a new baby’ after life-saving liver transplant

May 13 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

Kian Evans was just nine months old when he had a liver transplant after developing a rare childhood disease.

An earlier operation to give him some more time had failed and parents Suzanne Ashton and Gavin Evans were beginning to wonder whether their son would survive.

But after five weeks on the transplant list, Kian received a new liver, donated by a 23-year-old man who had died – another portion of that liver was transplanted into another patient.

Suzanne, a team manger at Boots, who lives in Pontypridd, said: “It was a big decision to have Kian. We were thrilled when I was pregnant, we were so thrilled when he was born and then this happened. He could only be fed through a tube, he couldn’t breathe very well – we were really getting to the critical stage.

“When he was put on the list we had a bit of hope knowing that something could be done for Kian but we didn’t know how long he would be on that list or even if he would get a new liver. It was a very scary time.”

Within weeks of the transplant Kian, who is now 18-months-old, began to improve – he was able to drink milk and to sit up and breathe properly.

Suzanne, 46, said: “He was like a different baby.”