KEY POINTS:
A Christchurch schoolboy will make medical history when he becomes the first patient to receive a joint liver and kidney transplant in New Zealand.
Jesse Pycroft, 11, was recently diagnosed with primary hyperoxaluria, an extremely rare condition, which has damaged his liver and both kidneys.
Jesse, who needs the joint transplant to survive, would receive the transplant when a kidney became available in two to four years, The Press reported today.
Only one other New Zealander has had a double transplant but that was performed in Australia.
Jesse's operation would be carried out in Auckland.
Jesse's father, Wayne Pycroft, was eager to donate one of his kidneys and a part of his liver, which would grow as Jesse did.
However, this depended on whether tissues were compatible and would require more than six months of tests.
- NZPA
