Little Gloria receives the gift of life

The parents of a three-year-old girl who had a life-saving kidney transplant are urging people to register their decision to become organ donors so that more lives can be saved.

Gloria Sirbu was born in 2021 with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that causes fluid-filled cysts to grow in the kidneys.

Her mum, Laura Seraficeanu, was given the devastating diagnosis during an antenatal scan while on holiday in Romania. She was unable to travel back to the UK due to the risks of premature labour, and gave birth to Gloria at 36 weeks weighing 5lb 6oz.

Laura, from Leyton in east London, said: “The medics told us that we should be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Gloria didn’t make urine for the first three days of her life so we were preparing for her to die – I was trying to enjoy her presence for as long as I could. But then she made a little wee which gave us hope.”

After three weeks in a Romanian hospital, Gloria was discharged and her parents immediately flew home.

Laura, 31, said: “After landing at Stanstead Airport we went straight to Evelina London’s specialist emergency department at St Thomas’ Hospital as she was very close to not surviving. She was in a very poorly condition.”

Gloria had an acute kidney infection and was only taking 12 breaths per minute. She was intubated and given medication, before being taken to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, which is co-located with St Thomas’ Hospital.

Laura said: “They saved her life. She was very poorly and we didn’t have high hopes. We just hoped she would survive the night so they could make a plan for her care. We stayed on PICU and Beach Ward for a month in total.”

Gloria then developed necrotizing enterocolitis – known as NEC – which is a serious condition that causes inflammation of the gut. She had an ileostomy, an operation to bring the end of the small bowel to the outside of her tummy to form a stoma, which was reversed three months later.

She had some kidney function until six months old but then had to start peritoneal dialysis at home, which she received over the next 18 months.

Laura said: “Everyone at Evelina London was so helpful and there was nothing more I could have asked for. They have given her the best care and bought her back to life. The dialysis nurses were amazing and there was even a WhatsApp group to ask questions, which was mind-blowing for me.”

She added: “We were in and out of Evelina London so much in her first few years. We even spent her first Christmas on Beach Ward, which wasn’t ideal but Santa came to visit which was good.”

In May 2023, two days before Gloria’s second birthday, her dad, Sorin Sirbu, donated a kidney to her.

Laura said: “It was the best present Gloria could have received. Sorin’s surgery took place at Guy’s Hospital and he recovered really well. Gloria stayed at Evelina London for three weeks and is now doing brilliantly.

“She still has a nasogastric feeding tube to give her fluids, but she started eating solid food around eight months ago. She now eats anything she finds and loves pasta, pizza and fruit.”

During the summer, Gloria and her mum attended the British Transplant Games, with Gloria taking home a silver medal in the 25-metre race.

The games see teams from hospitals across the UK come together to compete in a medley of sports. Each year, Evelina London Children’s Charity supports a team of young kidney transplant recipients and their families to attend.

Laura said: “She enjoyed the games so much and made many friends. It was such a lovely experience and very emotional.

“It made me realise just how lucky we were to be there – Gloria is alive, received the best treatment there was, and had a living donor. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a living donor match so I really hope other people consider registering their decision to become an organ donor so more children, like Gloria, can be saved.”

Laura added: “Gloria continues to be monitored by Evelina London but she’s a happy and healthy little girl. I am forever grateful for Evelina London’s greatness and help. We owe the staff everything – nothing we do today would be possible without them.”

Gráinne Walsh, an advanced nurse practitioner in the kidney transplant team at Evelina London, said: “It’s fantastic to see Gloria doing so well and able to take part in her first British Transplant Games. Having a child with a kidney transplant can be challenging, but this special event for our patients and their families allows them to come together and create a network of support.

“Living with a transplant is not easy and Gloria will be our patient for life – our teams will be here to care for her for as long as she needs us.”

Register your decision to be an organ donor now on the NHS Organ Donor Register, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk