A young transplant patient who was told he may not live past his first birthday is taking part in a sporting event to raise awareness about organ donation.
Kian Shah-Ackroyd had a liver transplant when he was just 11-months-old after being born with liver failure. Now, the six-year-old, who has a four-year-old sister Sami, is flourishing, and proudly shows off his scar to school friends.
He is now looking forward to skiing in the World Transplant Games in Switzerland next month.
The Games, which will be held between March 4 and 9, were set up ten years ago to give athletes who have had a transplant the chance to compete.
Kian will be joined by ten other sporty children from 23 countries. Despite having never skied before, the cheeky six-year-old said he is excited about taking part.
He said: “I was brave when I had my liver transplant, and so they picked me and two other boys to go skiing in Switzerland. I’ve never skied before but I’m really excited to learn – I really hope I win the tournament."
His parents, Nishma, and David, an IT consultant, want to spread the message about organ donation.
Nishma, a former banker, said: “The Games are a great way to raise awareness. It’s such a hard thing for a child to go through and the Games makes it a bit easier on them.”
The couple first noticed that something was wrong with Kian when he was five-weeks-old.
“He wasn’t growing and was constantly jaundiced, so we took him to the doctor. We were devastated when we found out he'd need a transplant.
The couple were delighted when a match came through when Kian was 11 months, but said they had mixed feelings because it meant another child had died.
“An organ donor gave our son the gift of life, so raising awareness is really close to my heart."
