Eight-month-old baby saved by cross-border organ donation

A successful cross-border organ donation resulted in the life-saving heart transplant of an eight-month-old girl at the Hong Kong Children's Hospital on Sunday (Feb 16).

The baby girl, Whitney, is now under close monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit after the operation and the following 24 hours will still be a critical period, according to the Health Bureau and the Hospital Authority (HA) announced on Monday.

Nicholson Yam, who was in charge of the transplant operation, said the heart procurement operation was performed in the Mainland earlier yesterday by the heart transplant experts sent by the National Quality Control Centre for Health Transplantation in Beijing, while Hong Kong Children's Hospital (HKCH) performed the transplant operation immediately upon receiving the heart in the afternoon on the same day. 

The operation lasted approximately 6.5 hours.

Whitney's parents expressed their gratitude for the assistance from different authorities in finding a suitable heart for Whitney. They also thanked the medical teams for their unwavering effort in saving their daughter's life. 

They are very thankful for the altruistic decision made by the donor's family during their time of difficulty and consider that their selflessness has given Whitney the chance for a new life.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau noted that after a then 4-month-old baby girl, Tsz-hei, successfully received a heart donation from the Mainland in December 2022 to extend her life, Hong Kong and the Mainland has established a close communication channel and procedures for cross-boundary organ transplant co-operation based on that successful experience. 

"The second cross-boundary organ donation case this time has demonstrated a more effective cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong," he added. "The HKSAR Government once again thanks the various Mainland authorities for their strong support to providing emergency assistance to Hong Kong citizens."

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