"My best friend saved my son's life" - Toddington baby with rare disease gets vital liver transplant from his 'second mum'

A baby in need of a liver transplant has had his life saved by his mother's best friend - and now she considers her a "second mum" to the tot who is thriving.

When Lauren Beckett, 26, gave birth to her now 22-month-old son Tommy, he was diagnosed with neonatal hemochromatosis, a rare disorder causing excess iron to pool in the liver, and doctors warned he would die without a new liver.

After an urgent appeal more than 200 people put themselves forward as potential donors, without success.

But Kayleigh Taylor, 34, came to Tommy's rescue and donated part of her liver after testing positive as a donor match. She saved his life and almost two years on, Tommy is thriving.

Civil servant Lauren, who lives in Toddington with partner Callum Harknett, said: “For Tommy and I, we see Kayleigh as his second mum – what she did, it is just incredible.Although I gave birth to him, and he is my son, she saved his life and gave him the gift of life – it was such a selfless thing to do.”

Tommy was born on October 31 2021. But 12 hours later doctors noticed he was cold and suffering from jaundice and they suspected a twisted bowel. He was moved to King's College Hospital, London, and diagnosed with neonatal hemochromatosis at two weeks old.

Kayleigh and Tommy both underwent surgery on December 17, 2021, with brave Tommy spending eight hours in theatre at just six weeks old. After five months in hospital, Tommy made a full recovery. He will be on immunosuppressants for the rest of his life which helps prevent his body from rejecting Kayleigh’s liver.

For Kayleigh, she would do it all over again to save him.

"I don't know why anyone wouldn't have put themselves forward - I'm grateful it got to be me who helped Tommy," said Kayleigh, a payroll clerk who lives in Clare, Suffolk, with her husband, Gary, a gardener.

"Every time I see Lauren, she says she doesn't know what she'd do without me, but I don't even feel she has anything to thank me for. With Lauren, it's totally changed our friendship. A day rarely goes by where we don't speak and we are so close.

"Then with Tommy, I feel an overwhelming need to protect him and know he's ok. It's not a feeling I've had before.

"I just think how lucky I am that I have this relationship with Tommy, Lauren and Callum, Lauren’s partner, too - I wouldn't want it to be anyone else."

Tommy has gone from strength to strength with his recovery – he is now walking and talking.

Lauren said: “Tommy is talking saying mum, dad, and even Chase, a Paw Patrol character. He loves the outdoors and going for walks. He is always mesmerised by trees. Tommy is walking too, if you give him a helping hand. Spending the first five months in hospital, he is behind, but exactly where he should be at this stage – he is doing amazing.

“I am such a proud mother and he is an extremely brave boy."

Lauren wishes Kayleigh lived closer to her and Tommy, saying she "wishes" she could just “pop over” like she used to when the pair first became friends.

“When I first met Kayleigh through our workplace, at an accounting and payroll company, neither of us thought we would be friends," she said.

"She had two kids and I wasn’t in a serious relationship - but we just clicked. I used to spend most Friday evenings around her house having a takeaway and relaxing with her family.

“I was always invited to family events. Kayleigh’s brother-in-law used to joke that I would be invited to more family gatherings than he was – we really are best of friends."

Kayleigh moved to Clare in Suffolk - an hour and a half drive from Lauren and Tommy, but it doesn’t stop them from meeting up at least once a month. And they always mark December 17 - the day Kayleigh saved Tommy’s life.

"It's the day both Kayleigh and Tommy underwent surgery which ended up saving his life – it is our second Christmas day and we call it our Christmas miracle," Lauren said.

Lauren looks forward to the future, hopefully in a year’s time sending Tommy off to nursery which she says is “only possible” thanks to Kayleigh.

“Tommy is such a lively, loving, friendly, and most importantly, brave little boy," she said. “He is my world, we all love and adore him so so much.”