They share a part of themself, literally and figuratively - their body parts - and love.
Read on...
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By Eveline Gan, TODAY | Posted: 12 October 2010 0931 hrs
SINGAPORE - Johnson Tan has lost track of the Mother's Day gifts - handbags, earrings and shoes, among other things - he has given his mother, Mdm Theresa Yee, over the years.
On Mother's Day last year, however, the 28-year-old presented his mother with a gift both of them will never forget. He gave her half of his liver.
Mdm Yee was diagnosed with autoimmune liver disease in 2007. Last year, she was told that she needed a liver transplant and was subsequently placed on the waiting list for a liver from a cadaveric or deceased donor. By April, her illness took a turn for the worse.
"One night, I suddenly started vomiting blood. I remembered vomiting all the way from home to the hospital until I lost consciousness," said the 55-year-old homemaker, recounting the awful experience.
Her condition was critical and there was still no cadaveric donor in sight. There and then, her husband and son both volunteered to be her donor. Although both of them were eligible to become Mdm Yee's donor, Johnson was eventually chosen as his liver was in a "better" condition.
Living organ donation
Just three decades ago, this gift of life between two living people was unheard of in Singapore.
As of June 30 this year, there are 472 people on the National Organ Transplant Waiting List, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry Of Health (MOH). The Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota) allows for the organs (kidney, liver, heart and cornea) of Singapore citizens and permanent residents to be donated for transplantation in the event of death.
Currently, the liver and kidney are the only organs that can be donated by living donors here. The number of living organ transplants have increased over the years. Last year, 123 living organ transplants were performed here, an 8.8-per-cent increase from 2007, according to MOH.
Singapore's first living kidney transplant was performed in 1976, six years following its first cadaveric kidney transplant.
Singapore's first cadaveric liver transplant was performed at the National University Hospital in 1990. It wasn't until 1996 that the first live liver transplant occurred.
A gift of life
An organ transplant is often required to treat those battling end-stage organ disease. This is especially so for those suffering from liver failure.
"Unlike kidney transplants, we currently don't have any effective options to artificially maintain liver function, so a liver transplant really is a gift of life," explained Associate Professor Tan Chee Kiat, director of the Liver Transplant Service at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), which carried out 12 liver transplants last year.
While waiting for a suitable organ, it is possible for a person with kidney failure to survive on dialysis. When the liver fails, there is often no hope.
"If a person's liver is failing, it can no longer break down food, repair cells and clear the body of toxins. This can lead to swelling of the abdomen and legs, drowsiness, blood infections and even coma," said Assoc Prof Tan, who is also a senior consultant at SGH's gastroenterology and hepatology department.
Assoc Prof Tan estimated that each year, some 20 to 30 liver disease patients progress to a stage where they would need a liver transplant.
A lifeline from a living donor
For these urgent cases, a living donor becomes, quite literally, the patient's lifeline.
"Finding a living donor reduces waiting time and eliminates uncertainty and possible detriment caused by waiting for a deceased donor liver," said Assoc Prof Tan.
There are also other reasons why living organ transplants are preferred over deceased organ transplants.
With a living donor, the graft is also "healthier" as the surgery can be coordinated so that the organ can be quickly transplanted into the recipient, added Assoc Prof Tan.
According to Assoc Prof Tan, anyone can become a living donor. However, he stressed that the donation is an "entirely voluntary act" and the donor can change his mind right up until the point when he goes for the transplant surgery.
What are the risks?
Given today's medical advancements, doctors said live organ donation procedures are relatively safe. However, many people still have misconceptions about it (see box).
In the case of liver transplants, Assoc Prof Tan said donors do not face significant long-term health risks of organ failure. "In fact, the donor's remaining liver rapidly regenerates within the first two weeks and is back to its normal size by about two months post-transplant," he said.
"However, as with other types of major surgery, there are risks of pain, infection and blood clots. There is a low risk of mortality related to the surgery."
A year and a half on, life is back to normal for both Johnson and Mdm Yee.
For Johnson, who now sports a six-inch vertical scar on his belly, giving up half of his liver for his mother had not been a tough decision to make.
"There wasn't much time (to hesitate). My mum's condition was serious," he said.
On the contrary, it was Mdm Yee who, despite being in critical condition, had worried about Johnson's health.
"I felt that it was a dangerous thing to do, and since I was already so old, it didn't matter if I recovered or not.
"But thank God for giving me such a good son," she said.
- TODAY/rl
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:'You can have my liver, Mum'
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"relatively safe" - relative to what exactly? According to OPTN, 4.4 living donors die each year in the US within 12 months of surgery. In 2010, two liver donors died within three months of each other; one left a wife and three young sons.
ReplyDelete"...donors do not face significant long-term health risks of organ failure". Disingenous at best. The transplant industry has no idea what the long-term ramifications are for living donors. No long-term data exists.
The 13th Annual Congress of the International Liver Transplant Society found post-operative complications in 63% of liver donors. Is that 'relatively safe'?
http://www.livingdonor101.com/living_liver_donors.shtml
While stories like the above are heartwarming, minimizing the risk of living donation serves no one's interests.
I believe that the risks are always discussed thoroughly with the donors before the organ transplant takes place...
ReplyDeleteAnd as in all things, HOT (human organ transplant) has its beginnings, its many imperfections, its modifications, and then finally, perfection - at least to what our technology can afford.
We progress with time. Although our time now doesn't seem to have the ideal case of a 'relatively safe' liver transplant, I hope that we will have it in the future. By then perhaps, there will be 'long-term data' to support the claims.
And thanks for your intelligent view. I'd welcome differing views for a better grasp of the facts and truths.
Again, thanks!