This heartwarming footage is the moment a young boy who travelled 7,000 miles for a liver transplant comes face-to-face with the woman who saved his life.
Four-year-old Ahmad Akkad was born with a rare genetic disease called progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), which would mean he would likely die without a liver transplant.
Ahmad, from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, travelled to the US to undergo the life-saving surgery in Ohio, where Becky Cable went under the knife to donate a part of her liver.
Ahmad Akkad, four, waits with his mother Aya Akkad to meet Becky Cable, who gave the young boy a lifesaving liver transplant
The 46-year-old, from New York, said: ‘I feel like Ahmad is a part of me. He’s family now. He is just so beautiful and so healthy and so… alive!’
Ahmad’s mother Aya Akkad said: ‘It was so hard. Nothing was helping Ahmad at all. But when we received the call that we had a donor, I was so happy. My son would have the chance to live in good health!’
Ms Cable originally signed to the donor list to help out a friend, but when they became too ill to receive a transplant, she remained on the list.
She said: ‘I thought, “What’s the difference if I know the person or I don’t know the person?”
‘I’m willing to give if there’s anybody who needs it.’
Aya Akkad (left), Ahmad Akkad (centre) and Becky Cable pose for a photo at the Cleveland Clinic
Ahmad’s mother cannot hold back the tears as she meets the woman who helped save the life of her young boy
With his liver failing, leaving him jaundiced with a buildup of toxins in his bloodstream, Ms Cable travelled two hours to the Cleveland Clinic which has now given Ahmad another chance of life.
The transplant has been a huge success, with Ms Akkad saying that her son is full of energy.
She said: ‘He doesn’t like to sleep at all. He just wants to play – and that’s a good thing. Every time I see him walking, running, playing – I think about his donor. And I want to thank her.’
Ahmad and his mother got to meet Ms Cable in October following the surgery. The two parties could not hold back the tears during the emotional meeting.
Ms Akkad said: ‘When I saw (Becky), I just wanted to go hug her. How can I thank her for this precious gift? Because of her generosity, she saved my son’s life.’
Becky Cable embraces Aya Akkad (left) and Ahmad Akkad (right) in their first emotional meeting since the liver transplant