Aussie dad gives young son miracle 'gift of life' after transplant surgery
A devoted father has given his dying son a life-saving gift.
Trevor Booth has donated a kidney to his brave four-year-old Harry.
Eileen and Trevor Booth had waited three agonising years for a donor kidney with the support of the Very Special Kids organisation.
Young Harry doesn't know what it's like to go to sleep without being hooked up to a machine.
The brave little boy needs 12 hours of dialysis every night.
His condition was diagnosed before he was born with his parents told it might be easier to just let him go.
“We never had that mind set, we were never ever going to do that and he's been more determined than both of us combined. So his determination is more than ours,” Trevor told 7 News.
“You often get asked, ‘how do you deal with it?’ But you just do because you have to. It's not like you can say, ‘I'm not going to deal with this today.’ It doesn't work like that,” he continued.
When they couldn't wait any longer Trevor decided to give Harry a life saving gift.
“To me it doesn't feel like anything special. I'm doing what any parent would do for their kid,” Trevor said of the miracle gift.
Older brothers Jake and Tom Booth can understand what's happening, as does four-year-old Harry.
“I’m going to get my kidney from Dad,” he told 7 News about the operation.
“Two of the most important people in my life are going to be in surgery at the same time,” Eileen said about the operations on both Harry and husband Trevor.
After two failed attempts at the transplant, Trevor was more than ready for surgery at the Austin Hospital.
Even as he was wheeled into surgery the loving father called Harry to tell him how much he loved him.
Across the city at the Royal Children's, Harry was all set for his surgery.
When the four-year-old was asked what was happening he excitedly proclaimed, “kidney time! kidney time!”
Eileen stayed by her son's side all the while knowing her husband was being operated on and as Trevor's kidney was on its way a team prepared Harry for his surgery.
“If everything goes to plan it should take surgeons a little over three hours to perform the transplant.
Harry will then be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and the recovery process begins.
And to everyone's joy the surgery was a success.
Harry will still need to be closely monitored with blood tests and scans to ensure his body doesn't reject the organ but the brave little boy has done his family proud.
“Thanks everyone I got my kidney,” the little champion said.
