Daughter Loses 15kg for Mother's Liver Transplant

The Heartwarming Story of 'Seulgiroun Uisasaenghwal' Happened in Real Life Too

Fatty Liver Detected in Pre-Examination
Ate Only Sweet Potatoes and Fruits for Two Months
Mother and Daughter Discharged One Week After Surgery

Professor Yoo Tae-seok, a surgeon at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, who performed a mother-daughter kidney transplant surgery last month, is conducting a laparoscopic surgery.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The story of a daughter who lost 15 kg in two months to help her mother who needed a liver transplant has touched many people around her. The liver transplant surgery was successful, and the mother diligently underwent rehabilitation training, recovering quickly, allowing the mother and daughter to be discharged one week after the surgery.

According to Hallym University Medical Center on the 28th, Kim (52), the mother of two children, visited the hospital in September last year due to fatigue and abdominal ascites and was diagnosed with alcoholic liver disease, liver cancer, and hepatorenal syndrome. The liver cancer had spread to the adrenal gland above the kidney, and the kidney was also damaged, making liver transplantation the only treatment option. Initially, her son, who had the same blood type, was to donate his liver, but due to a congenitally small liver size, it was not possible. Although the blood types were different, her daughter Lee (25) stepped forward. However, during the examination to determine transplant suitability, fatty liver was detected. The attending professor advised that she needed to lose weight for the transplant.

The mother opposed, fearing that excessive weight loss might harm her daughter's health, but the daughter reduced her weight by 15 kg in two months through diet control and exercise. She ate only fruits and sweet potatoes for one to two meals a day and completely avoided other foods. After about two months, follow-up tests showed that the fatty liver condition had almost disappeared. The daughter said, "At first, it was overwhelming and suddenly losing weight was not easy, but I never thought losing weight for the liver transplant was difficult," adding, "I was so happy to hear that I could undergo the surgery."

The surgery was not easy. Numerous blood vessels were connected, requiring delicate surgical skills, and because the blood types were different, it was necessary to prevent immune reactions from the newly transplanted organ. To achieve this, preoperative plasma exchange and other procedures were performed to lower antibody levels. Since antibody levels could rise again during surgery, external blood transfusions were avoided as much as possible during the operation.

The surgery was led by Professor Yoo Tae-seok of the hospital's surgery department and the liver transplant surgery team. Other organ transplant faculty members also participated. Seventy percent of the daughter's liver was transplanted to become the mother's new liver. It was a success. Both mother and daughter recovered quickly and were moved to a general ward just one day after surgery. Lee said, "After the surgery, I felt sorry for my daughter and only thought about recovering quickly to visit her condition," adding, "I hardly slept and repeatedly did rehabilitation exercises such as walking and lung capacity strengthening late into the night." Professor Cho Won-tae of surgery said, "There have been cases where donors lost 5 kg in one month when weight loss was necessary, but losing 15 kg in two months is unbelievable," and added, "The medical staff were all surprised and moved by the daughter's willpower and mental strength."

Earlier in February, the hospital took great care to prevent in-hospital infection and transmission during the organ transplant process, as the donor was diagnosed with COVID-19. Since organ recipients have weakened immunity due to immunosuppressants before and after transplantation, infection with COVID-19 can cause rapid and severe symptoms. Diagnostic tests were conducted before hospitalization and once more before surgery. Professor Yoo said, "Until the COVID-19 test results came out, the recipient and donor had to stay in isolation rooms, which was difficult, but the patients understood and complied well with the preventive measures against COVID-19 infection."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.