Burjeel Medical City shared this heart-warming story on World Organ Donation Day, revealing how the infant’s aunt’s selfless act saved his life.
A team of doctors in the United Arab Emirates has successfully transplanted a liver into a 5-month-old infant boy who was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that had previously claimed the life of one of his siblings.
Baby Ahmed Yahya underwent a successful liver transplant recently at Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi, making him the youngest organ recipient in the UAE.
According to doctors at BMC, Baby Ahmed suffered from ATP6AP1-related congenital disorder of glycosylation, an ultra-rare genetic disorder with fewer than 25 known cases worldwide.
“This disease is a severe, multisystem condition that particularly affects the liver. In Ahmed’s case, the disorder was progressing rapidly toward liver failure,” explained Dr. Johns Shaji Mathew, Abdominal Transplant and Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgeon at BMC.
Ahmed’s aunt volunteered to be the donor, giving part of her liver to save his life.
“I realized that donating part of my liver could save his life, and I knew I had to do it. It’s a bond that nothing in this world can break,” she said. In April 2025, a team of doctors led by Dr. Gourab Sen performed the complex organ transplant surgery, which took over 12 hours to complete.
Despite the high-risk nature of the operation and the child’s fragile condition, the surgery was a success, and according to the doctors, Baby Ahmed’s liver function continues to improve as they monitor his neurodevelopmental milestones closely.
