Liver transplant recipient marks 25th anniversary

Liver transplant recipient marks 25th anniversary
In this Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014, photo, Alyssa Riggan, who was the first in the United States to successfully receive a liver from a living donor 25 years ago, poses with her husband, Benjamin, in their home in Severn, Md. As Riggan marks the 25th anniversary of her successful surgery on Thursday, she says its success has enabled her to live a normal life almost completely untouched by what was an often-fatal disorder. Riggan was 21 months old when her mother, Teri Smith, donated more than a third of her liver to save her daughter from a disorder called biliary atresia. (AP Photo/ Brian Witte)

Alyssa Riggan hasn't dwelled on being the nation's first successful recipient of a liver from a living donor.

As she marks the 25th anniversary of her successful surgery Thursday, she says its success has enabled her to live a normal life almost completely untouched by what was an often-fatal disorder.

Riggan was 21 months old when her mother, Teri Smith, donated more than a third of her liver to save her daughter from a disorder called .

The procedure helped pave the way for routine live-donor transplants. It expanded the options for children with liver disorders, many of whom died while waiting for a liver from a deceased donor. It was first used only in . It's now used for , and at some transplant centers, for adults.

© 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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