Sweet Jesus

IN a medical first for Spain, a baby has been born to a woman who received a uterus transplant.

The child, Jesus, was born to Tamara Franco in Barcelona, after the organ was donated to her by her sister in 2020 via a complicated operation that lasted more than 20 hours.

“It was a very tough but at the same time very beautiful process, and despite all of the risks it was worth it,” Franco explained. Franco, who is from Murcia, suffered from a condition called Rokitansky syndrome, which is when a woman is born with ovaries, but lacks a uterus and fallopian tubes. It is a condition that approximately one in every 5,000 women suffer.

Medical staff at the Clinic Hospital in Barcelona chose Franco as their first case for the pioneering surgery. After the procedure was completed, the challenge was for her to become pregnant.

Pregnant

After several attempts to implant embryos and one miscarriage, she finally fell pregnant last September.

before because they were so poor. She said the school staff welcomed the team ‘with open arms’ as they arrived in the school grounds.

“It really was such a rewarding experience to see the look on the children’s faces when we put up lenses to help them see clearer,” Brown said.

“They were so happy with so little, it was humbling and a great reminder of how lucky we are in Gibraltar to have healthcare and support.”

The school authorities hope the visit will give them a chance to break the cycle of poverty they are in. They believe that by giving them a good education they will be able to aspire to bet- ter paying jobs. “Most of these families would not be able to afford a pair of glasses for their children, and hopefully our work will mean that they are able to excel further with the correct tools,” Brown added.

Exceptional

GHA Director General Patrick Geoghegan complemented his orthopist’s work as ‘truly exceptional’ on the trip.

“She is a great ambassador for the GHA who has shown true professionalism and compassion for her job,” he said.

“I congratulate Michelle on embarking on this great initiative and for helping those who are truly in need of it.”

Sugar, sugar

CHILDREN in Spain scoff more than two times the amount of added sugars recommended by the World Health Organisation. They consume 55.7 grams of added sugars per day, while the WHO suggests they shouldn’t exceed 25 daily grams. These figures have been published as part of a study undertaken by Granada University, in which 1,775 adults who have children aged between seven and 12 took part. Around two thirds of this sugar came from white sugar, sweets, cocoa powder, soft drinks, ice cream, biscuits, industrial cakes, chocolate bars, biscuits and sports drinks.

OP Puzzle solutions

Quick Crossword

Across: 1 Snag, 4 Boston, 8 Clowns, 9 Damson, 10 Demolish, 11 Core, 12 Meets, 13 Enemy, 17 Spew, 19 Exorcise, 20 Twilit, 21 Isobar, 22 Trashy, 23 Last.

Down: 2 New South Wales, 3 Gossip, 4 Buddha, 5 Semi-conscious, 6 Odour, 7 Fleece, 14 Mislay, 15 Gentry, 16 Social, 18 Power.

But the pregnancy was not without its complications, and Franco suffered preeclampsia – high blood pressure that could have been caused by the medication she has to take to stop her body from rejecting the organ. At the seven-month point of the pregnancy, the baby was delivered via a caesarian, with no complications.

The child, Jesus, was kept in a neonatal intensive care unit and was discharged once he weighed 3.2 kilograms and his lungs were sufficiently strong.

According to the doctors who oversaw the procedure, it was first carried out in Sweden. So far around 100 uterus transplants have been carried out worldwide,with more than 50 births recorded.