A 17 year old boy and a 2 year old baby were given the gift of life when doctors in Chicago performed life-saving transplants on both the boys simultaneously, in a move which was a first for the doctors at the Children's Memorial Hospital.

Both the receivers were fitted with a portion of the same liver, and the surgery, which lasted 8 hours, was performed on Friday. As of Wednesday night, both the boys were recovering just fine.

Children's Memorial has reported success in splitting livers, where the remaining half will now go to an adult awaiting a transplant at another hospital. The said surgery is the first time that the hospital has been able to use a split liver for two of the patients requiring an organ transplant.

The liver had been donated by a donor who preferred to remain confidential.

The 17 year old Christian Liberto is a high school senior from north suburban Highland Park, and the 2 year old toddler, Frank Sroka, is from South Side.

Both the boys will now be able to lead perfectly normal lives.