Florida Hospital surgeons perform area's first pediatric liver transplant

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A 16-year-old boy is now recovering at home after surgeons from Florida Hospital saved his life in the first ever pediatric liver transplant in Central Florida. 

Before today, children who needed this transplant would have to drive to Miami.  This teen came to Florida Hospital with acute liver failure and a transplant could not wait. Luckily, he was able to get on the list to receive an organ and have the new procedure in Orlando, within a matter of days. Surgeons say having this procedure here is a game changer. 

"Imagine having a sick child and having to travel 4-5 hours for the care your child needs," said Dr. Regino Gonzalez-Peralta, with Florida Hospital for Children, "and then having to go back on a weekly basis after the transplant!"

A team of surgeons from the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh helped perform the surgery.  They've been doing liver transplants there for decades and are pioneers in the field.