A 4-year-old English girl who got help from the Saudi Arabian king to pay for a life-saving transplant went into surgery Wednesday morning to receive a new liver and small intestine, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Laura Davies, who is from Manchester, was taken to an operating room at about 4 a.m., said Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh spokeswoman Lynn McMahon. The operation was expected to last 12 to 14 hours, McMahon said.Laura was born with improperly formed small intestines.
Thousands of well-wishers overseas helped raise $630,000 to help the little blond-haired girl's family pay for the transplant. Saudi King Fahd donated $270,000.
A potential organ donor was located Tuesday and physicians traveled to an unidentified site to gain consent for the donation.