Newborn baby becomes UK’s youngest organ donor

London: A newborn baby, who lived for less than two hours, became Britain's youngest-ever organ donor last year.

Doctors at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, carried out the pioneering surgery three minutes after Teddy Houlston died on April 22, 2014, it was announced on Thursday.

His kidneys were used to save an adult's life in Leeds.

His father Mike Houlston, from Cardiff in Wales, told the 'Daily Mirror': "He lived and died a hero. It's impossible to explain how proud we are of him." Teddy's mother Jess Evans was carrying twins when she was told – 12 weeks into her pregnancy – that one of the twins was fatally ill.

Teddy had anencephaly, a rare and lethal abnormality which prevents the brain and skull from developing.

Babies with the condition either die in the womb, are stillborn or live for just seconds, minutes or hours after birth.

Evans told the newspaper that the news of Teddy's condition was "soul destroying".

Though doctors offered the couple the option of an abortion, Evans said: "We thought that even if we had a moment with him, or 10 minutes, or an hour, that time was the most precious thing that we would ever experience."

As they continued with the pregnancy, the couple decided that they wanted to donate their baby's organs.

"Organ donation was something I've always felt quite strongly about ever since I was a child," the mother said.