Woman Gives Slice of Her Liver to Her Grandson to Save the Baby's Life

Sengar Haydon put her life at risk as she volunteered to give her one-year-old grandson a slice of her liver. The hours-long surgery saved his life.

In most cases, parents would do everything for their child's safety, and sometimes, so would grandparents. This was the case with Sengar Haydon, who became a real-life hero when she saved her grandson's life.

At 55 years old, Haydon made a no-brainer decision to give a slice of her liver to her one-year-old grandson, Hudson Penning, through a medical transplant.

WAITING FOR A DONOR

Chelsea and Tom Penning were devastated to hear that their son had a rare genetic condition destroying his liver. Doctors at London's King College Hospital informed them that waiting for a donor could take up to 18 months, which was a long time to save Hudson's life.

As anyone can be an organ donor, so long as they pass the medical evaluations for suitability, Haydon decided to donate a part of her organ to the little boy. Her daughter Chelsea shared:

"We worked out that mom would be best place to do it because Tom and I would be free to look after Hudson, and my dad would care for my mom during her recovery [sic]."

THE HOURS-LONG SURGERY

The couple was undoubtedly grateful but made sure Haydon knew that she could opt-out anytime. When the big day came, Haydon's surgery took three hours as doctors sliced through her belly to her rib cage to retrieve a part of her liver.

Had the transplant not happened, the then-nine-month-old baby would have had less than six months to live.

Meanwhile, Hudson's transplant took a total of seven hours. "I won't say that it was painless. They go deep into your body to get that slice of liver, but I had plenty of painkillers, and I was very well looked after," Haydon said.

THANKFUL FOR MOM

According to Chelsea, the entire transplant procedure was very tense for their family. Nevertheless, she and her husband are very grateful for Haydon's generous donation. Chelsea said:

"Being a living liver donor is no small thing. The risk of death or serious complications are incredibly low, but it's a risk."

Having a grandparent to grandchild transplant is not as common, yet there are still cases where grandparents choose to step up.

ANOTHER TRANSPLANT

Previously, another heroic grandmother, Francisca Fuentes, donated a lobe from her liver to save her grandson's life. The procedure was Juan Jose's last chance of surviving a liver disease.

Had the transplant not happened, the then-nine-month-old baby would have had less than six months to live. A similar transplant also took place years ago, but at that time, it was the grandson who saved his 74-year-old grandmother's life.

Recently, a 95-year-old man, Cecil F. Lockhart, made history as he became the oldest organ donor in America. The man's liver was donated to a 60-year-old woman.