Heather McNamara survives after six organs removed in surgery

A seven-year-old girl was released from hospital on Tuesday after a ground-breaking 23-hour operation four weeks ago in which doctors took out six of her organs to remove a cancerous tumor in her abdomen.

Heather McNamara, from Long Island, New York, is believed to be the first child and only the second person in the world to have the surgery known as auto-transplant, her doctors said.

McNamara's pancreas, liver, spleen, stomach and small and large intestines were taken out and put in ice-cold temperatures so doctors could take out the cancerous growth.