Yahoo News Emotional dad weeps as he meets 17-month old son for first time following life-saving liver transplant operation
This is the moment a dad weeps tears of joy as he meets his 17-year-old son for the first time shows after donating part of his liver to him in a ten-hour life-saving operation.
Matt Price, 39, broke down as he was reunited with son Callan - now 17-months-old - on a hospital ward after they both underwent surgery.
In the photo, the joyful father tenderly reaches out to touch his little son, who was still drowsy as he recovered from the transplant procedure.
Little Callan was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition which meant that his body was slowly poisoning itself and fell into a coma after four days of being born.
Hospital staff noticed the little baby had breathing difficulties and was "grunting."
Doctors initially thought Callan had fluid on his lungs but they soon discovered that there was a much more serious underlying condition.
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After doctors rushed the toddler away, Mr Price and his wife Jen, 39, were told their newborn boy may not make it through the night.
He was immediately transferred to St Thomas Hospital, London, where doctors soon discovered the boy was born with a rare genetic disorder known as Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC).
Speaking of their heartache, Mr Price said: "He was just making a grunting noise whenever he breathed.
"We thought there was nothing to worry about, the hospital actually took him off us when he was 40 minutes old but they brought him back to us and said he was fine.
"They said his breathing difficulties would calm down in a few hours but it didn't and he kept deteriorating.
"Then when he was four days old he was in a coma.
"We were told he probably wouldn't make it through the night, we were told to expect the worse and hope for the best.
“We had to try and get our heads around everything while Callan was in a coma at four days old.
"Callan was poisoning his own brain- his brain was closing down as his ammonia level was so high.
"He was struggling to manage his protein intake, he was breaking his own body down."
At five months old, Callan's parents were told he would need a new liver and was placed on the organ transplant waiting list.
Matt wanted to donate part of his liver rather than wait for one to become available, however, he was told he had to lose weight and cut down his cholesterol.
By November he had lost almost two stone and had completely cut out alcohol from his lifestyle but Callan was still too small to undergo the operation.
The family were initially given a date for the operation the following year but was brought forward to February 1 because Callan was still deteriorating.
Matt and Callan went under a double operation at King's College Hospital, London, on February 1 to put 20 per cent of Matt's into baby Callan.
Matt added: "He's exactly like any other young boy. He plays with his big brothers Ronnie, 5, and Tom, 2, and is so funny in himself. You wouldn't be able to tell that there is anything wrong with him except for a big scar on his stomach."
Callan will need to take medication for the rest of his life and regularly goes to hospital for check ups.
