Tot latest saved by `hero' donors

(The Standard P.2  10 Dec 2012) A one-year-old baby girl has become the 1,000th patient to receive a liver transplant(肝臟移植) in Hong Kong.

The toddler(學步的小孩) - born with congenital biliary atresia(先天性膽管閉鎖), a bile duct blockage(膽管封鎖) or damage - received part of the liver of her 30-year-old uncle on October 22 at Queen Mary Hospital.

Liver transplant specialist(肝臟移植專科醫生) William Sharr Wei, who performed the operation, said the most difficult part was connecting the blood vessels(血管) of a baby to that of an adult.

The girl, who is recovering satisfactorily, is not the youngest transplant patient in Hong Kong.

Four-year-old Jacob Yu Man-wa was only 42 days old in 2008 when he received a transplant from his then 30-year-old father Yu Tung-wing.

The mother, Ng Fung-ting, recalled that the boy's icterus index(黃疸指數) was too high and his liver was collapsing(惡化) quickly. Luckily, his father was found to be a suitable donor(合適的捐贈者).

"I was really worried as they had to go through a 10-hour operation," Ng said. "Three weeks after the operation, my son experienced transplant rejection(排斥). He still has to take anti- rejection drugs today."

Lo Chung-mau, Queen Mary Hospital Liver Transplant Centre director and head of the University of Hong Kong's department of surgery, said at a ceremony marking the 1,000th operation yesterday that the donors are heroes. "Organ donors can't fly but they are our real heroes," he said.

Simon Hui Sai-man is one of them. Two years ago, he donated part of his liver to colleague Yuen Wai-cheung at the Customs and Excise Department(海關).

Yuen's liver was badly damaged during an anti-smuggling operation(反走私行動) in November 2010. He was at the edge of death as his liver was left with only 20 percent functional capacity(功能).

Hui said: "Living his life as best as he could is the best gift for me."

Yuen, currently handling clerical duty at the department, said he sometimes still feels tired easily but "I believe I will get back to the frontline soon."

The first successful transplant in Hong Kong was conducted in Queen Mary Hospital 21 years ago. There were only two cases in 1991 while there are 78 cases so far this year.

Kelly Ip