Omagh man Aaron Smyth first to receive 'live' liver transplant in NI

by Gráinne Connolly

Aaron Smyth from Omagh and his cousin Robert have become the first adults in Northern Ireland to take part in a 'live' liver transplant. 

It all started when Aaron was 14, he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.

From then they realised there was a problem with Aaron's bloods and his liver, which continued to deteriorate over the next 10 years. 

He suffered with three major infections, leading to the diagnosis of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSG), which is an uncommon chronic liver disease with no cure. 

This left Aaron in bad need of a liver transplant as he was operating with 5% liver function. 

He was then put on a waiting list which could have taken up to about 2 and a half years for a transplant, until he found out he could receive a 'living' doner. 

Aaron's parents were too old to donate and his sister wasn't a match so he thought he would be left to wait for a doner to come up. 

His cousin Robert got himself tested and found out that he was an exact match and agreed to be Aaron's doner. 

This procedure of a 'living' doner means they remove half of the doner's liver and its transplanted into the recipient. 

After around 2 months or so, the remaining parts of the liver grow back to full size, providing normal liver function to both the doner and recipient. 

Now, 8 months later Q Radio's been speaking to Aaron and he says the operation has been a complete success and he's back to living a normal life. 

He's also doing some fundraising now for the organisations that helped Aaron when he was sick. 

To listen to Aaron's full journey and how he is now listen to Part 1 and 2 linked below:

You can also donate to the "go fund me" page that Aaron is using to raise money:

https://www.gofundme.com/aaron-smyth