A newborn baby with a life-threatening liver condition has been saved after undergoing a transplant from her mother 's twin sister . Star Reader was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia within days of being born in Barnsley , West Yorkshire . After undergoing an operation to have her bile ducts unblocked , her parents , Jade Reader and Matthew Bygrave , were told the infant would need a liver transplant in order to survive . Jade Reader ( left ) said she was 'overcome with emotion ' when her twin sister Shanell ( right ) gave up part of her liver to save niece Star . With neither parent a suitable match , her maternal aunt Shanell Reader offered part of her organ , and has since saved her niece 's life . Star 's parents feared she was unwell after noticing her skin turning a yellowy tinge shortly after birth . While jaundice is common among babies , the colour did not leave her little body for weeks , prompting doctors to run tests on her liver . 'We didn ’ t think it was anything serious at first . Matthew had jaundice when he was a baby and he just had to go back into hospital and go under a lamp , ' said Miss Reader , 24 . Doctors discovered the baby 's bile ducts were blocked , a condition that can prove fatal if untreated . Following an unsuccessful attempt to unclog them , a liver transplant was the family 's only option . Within days of being born , Star 's parents knew something was wrong when she her skin turned a yellowy tinge . While the baby 's mother was not a suitable match , her twin sister proved an ideal candidate . They are pictured as children . 'We were utterly shocked when we were told what Star had . We had never thought it was anything like that . ‘ When we knew that it could be life-threatening it was devastating . She was only a few weeks old and yet we may lose her , ' said her mother . Biliary atresia affects about 1 in 16,000 babies at birth . In this condition , bile ducts are either blocked or absent . The cause of the condition is not clear and may vary . One of the most common early symptoms is jaundice ( a yellow appearance of the skin or whites of the eyes ) and pale stools . If untreated the condition can lead to liver failure and death . The most common treatments for Biliary Atresia is the Kasai procedure ( surgery that allows bile to drain directly into the bowel ) . Both parents volunteered for the surgery but were told neither was a good enough candidate for a partial liver transplant . Miss Reader 's twin sister Shanell was tested and told that she would give the baby the best chance of survival . 'She said without any hesitation that she would do it and that Star could have a piece of her liver . ' I was so overcome with emotion . She 's my twin sister and if it was the other way round , I 'd have done it to save her daughter too , ' added Miss Reader . Star underwent the operation in November and , after spending six weeks in hospital . returned home where she has since made a good recovery . ‘ Star has to have blood tests and liver function tests every week and she will be on anti rejection medication for the rest of her life . ‘ But now she has been given the chance to live a normal life - and it ’ s all thanks to my twin sister . I can ’ t thank her enough , ' her other added . Speaking of the decision , Shanell said : ' I didn ’ t hesitate to step forward to save Star . She ’ s my niece and I would do anything to help her. ’ Since the operation in November baby Star has made a good recovery as has her aunt Shanell who said she did not hesitate when confronted with the choice of giving up part of her liver .
Shanell was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia within days of being born . The baby 's bile ducts were blocked - a condition which can prove fatal . Neither of her parents were suitable candidates for partial liver transplant . Her maternal aunt Star Reader was the best chance she had at survival . Star underwent operation in Leeds in November and has since recovered .