A miracle baby is in desperate need of a lifesaving transplant.

One-year-old Anaya Kandola was born five weeks prematurely, with a serious and rare condition known as ARPKD, in December 2016.

The illness meant Anaya had an abnormal liver and two polycystic kidneys, causing her lungs to be underdeveloped, and the left side of her heart to be thickened and unable to pump blood properly.

Her immune system is also so weak that she frequently becomes sick.

Soon after her birth both of Anaya's kidneys were removed and she now spends 10 to 12 hours on dialysis daily.

Her best and only chance for survival is to have a kidney transplant, and she will also need a liver transplant later in life.

Anaya's aunty, Gurkiran Lally, from Whitefield, is now urging anyone to come forward and help save her niece.

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Ms Lally said: "When Anaya's mother was about to give birth she was told that Anaya was not going to make it.

"However she was born fine, but she was told there were going to be complications.

"Anaya was born with a rare condition and has had her kidneys removed and is on dialysis ­— but she's fighting. She has proved to be a little warrior."

She added: "Anaya's dad was a match but unfortunately he isn't any more. Her aunties also went to be tested, but one had a rare condition, and the others and myself were not a blood match."

Anaya's ideal match would be someone from blood groups B or O, positive or negative, aged 30 to 42, and from an Asian background.

Donors also need to be fit and healthy, with a BMI of 30 or below, and must not have had cancer or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the last 12 months.

You are also not advised to donate if you are planning to start a family, due to possible complications during pregnancy.

Ms Lally said: "We have two kidneys but we only need one, so we are campaigning to get the community involved up and down the country to help Anaya out.

"She's proving to be a miracle. She has just had a her first birthday which her parents were told she would never reach.

"We would really like to find a kidney for her before her second birthday.

"We totally understand that this is a big ask, but one of the biggest things you can do is sign up to the donor register. It's amazing because you could be saving up to nine lives."

Ms Lally is also hoping to turn the appeal into a national drive to encourage more people to sign up to the organ donor register and save lives.

She said: "I know there are many people out there who need a lifesaving transplant.

"Organ donors can help so many people, it's just a great thing to do and it only takes two minutes to sign up. You would be helping humanity and the NHS."

To find out more about Anaya's story visit hope4anaya.com

For more information on organ donation visit organdonation.nhs.uk.

By Brad Marshall