A Bronx mother saved her dying infant son's life by donating part of her liver, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
Rabia Anjum's 8-month old son, Jahanzaib, was suffering from a failing liver due to a rare genetic disorder he was born with.
Anjum, 26, put her own life in jeopardy when she decided to have the procedure in December at Montefiore Hospital. Now, two months later, the mother and son are fully recovered and healthy.
"I didn't have a choice," Anjum told the Daily News. "I had to be brave for my son."
Anjum, who lives with her husband Zuhaib in Bedford Park, ended up donating 15 percent of her liver to her son. Jahanzaib was born with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestatis, a hereditary disorder that causes liver failure. Jahanzaib's parents did not know he had the disease, which affects one in 100,000 babies, until after he was born, the Daily News reported.
"We were really shocked and stunned," Zuhaib told the Daily News. "We decided that we'd stick by each other and put everything in God's hands."
On top of that, Jahanzaib was born with another disorder that causes the organs to be located on opposite sides of the body, the Daily News reported.
Jahanzaib's condition only got worse. When he cried his tears were yellow. The baby's parents decided to take action instead of waiting for a liver donation.
Rabia was a match to her son. But the tricky operation would leaver her in recovery for weeks.
"All of the elements had to move perfectly, like a symphony," Milan Kinkhabwala, one of the surgeons who conducted the transplant, told the Daily News. "Especially in parent-to-child, it's very complicated way to transplant a liver."
The mother ended up making the right decision. Jahanzaib's liver is working, his tears cleared up and he's not as thin, the Daily News reported.
"I feel very excited now," Rabia told the Daily News. "He's so energetic now, he's gaining weight, he smiles at me."
