Uncle Gives Hope to 18-Year-Old Waiting for Liver Transplant

Uncle brings hope to 18-year-old waiting for liver transplant

ISTANBUL – 18-year-old Emrah İlhan, who has been struggling with liver disease for 10 years, regained his health thanks to his uncle after his mother and father were deemed unfit. The young man, who started a new life with the transplant surgery, said, “I am healthy now, I want to go outside, I want to get some air, I want to see people’s faces. I didn’t want to see outside before.”

Living in Mardin and struggling with liver disease for many years, Emrah İlhan sought a cure for his disease at various centers. After the doctor he consulted diagnosed him with liver failure, the 18-year-old and his family came to Istanbul and applied to Biruni University Hospital Organ Transplant Center. As a result of the tests, the doctors determined that his mother and father’s liver were not suitable for transplantation. Thereupon, İlhan’s relatives volunteered to donate their liver. The liver of his 44-year-old uncle Sadık Akyol was found suitable for transplantation and a successful transplant operation was performed by Biruni University Hospital General Surgery Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halil Erbiş. Emrah İlhan regained his health after the operation.

“He had no choice but to have a transplant.”

Giving information about the operation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halil Erbiş said, “The doctor the patient applied to due to the yellowing of his eyes and body recently said that he had liver failure. Thereupon, the patient applied here for liver transplantation. In the tests performed here, it was revealed that his liver was now in end-stage failure and he had no other chance but transplantation. In the tests, all of his uncle’s tests came back suitable for him to donate his liver. Thereupon, we performed the liver transplant from his uncle. Our patient can now be discharged. He no longer has any of his previous illnesses or appearances. Hopefully, he will continue his life as a healthy individual from now on.”

Erbiş stated that his uncle and nephew can live a normal life, saying, “We discharged his uncle. He will continue his life as before, he will be able to do his own work. His nephew has medicines that he will use under our control. He will live a normal life under our control.”

“We should not hesitate to donate the organs of our relatives”

Drawing attention to the importance of organ donation, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halil Erbiş concluded his speech with the following expressions:

“It would actually be much better if liver and kidney transplants were done from cadavers. Unfortunately, organ donations are not sufficient in our country. That’s why there are many more liver and kidney transplants from living donors in our country. Organ transplants from cadavers are less than 10 percent. More than 90 percent are transplants from living donors. In countries with a large organ pool or cadaver pool, this rate is the exact opposite. We should not hesitate to donate the organs of our relatives who have suffered brain death. We may need the organs that others need today tomorrow.”

“I never believed I would have surgery”

Expressing his happiness, Emrah İlhan said, “I have been suffering from pain for years. May God bless my uncle. I never believed that I would have surgery, I did not expect it. We had the surgery, our treatment is ongoing. I look back a month ago and now. I am fresh now, I want to go out, I want to get some air, I want to see a human face. I did not want to see outside before. I always wanted to sleep inside. Now I am very eager to see outside.”

“My nephew regained his health, we are happy”

Sadık Akyol, the uncle who donated his liver to his nephew, thanked all the hospital staff, especially the doctors, and said, “Thanks to them, my nephew regained his health. We are happy. Our doctor, the nurses and all the hospital staff contributed to this. We thank them all.”