Girl returns to school after mum donates part of her liver to save life

Lydia Warner defied the odds to beat pancreatoblastoma, a rare condition, after medics had told her parents there was nothing they could do after finding a tumour on Lydia’s pancreas near the main blood vessels of the bowel.

Further tests showed the cancer had spread to Lydia’s liver, where a cluster of nine small tumours were growing. After being told she was dying her parents devoted their time to making the most of Lydia’s final months.

But her parents Kate, 35, and Paul, 39 from Whitley, near Selby, refused to give up and kept pushing to find a treatment for her.

One of the medics at their local hospital discussed her case with surgeons at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, who said they may be able to perform vital transplant surgery to save her.

Her mother, Kate, a children’s care home manager, donated part of her own liver to her daughter.

In April, Lydia underwent a six-hour operation to have her entire liver removed and replaced with a portion of Kate’s.

Yesterday, just three months after her life-saving operation, she returned to her class at Pollington and Balne C of E Primary School,after being given the all-clear from her doctors.

Kate said: “As soon as we knew I was the right blood type it was a no brainer, it’s just what any mother would do for their child.

“I feel happy knowing that Lydia has got a part of my liver and she feels happy as well.”

Lydia was first diagnosed with pancreatoblastoma in September 2011. She was later referred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and operations on mother and daughter were carried out in Birmingham.

The youngster has since made a remarkable recovery and yesterday Lydia said she was “chuffed” to be back at school.