Eswekha Milad Salem from Libya was struggling with a tumor growing in her liver for 2 years. The mass in her liver grew gradually, as she could not go to a doctor and receive treatment due to the civil war in the country. When she came to Turkey, her liver weighed 5 kg. She regained her health thanks to a transplant performed by the head of Ataşehir Memorial Hospital Organ Transplant Center Prof. Yalçın Polat.
18-year-old Eswekha Milad Salem, who came back to life with a liver she took from her mother, stated that she could not even go to the doctor because of the turmoil in her country and explained her troubled days with the following words: “The civil war in my country was killing me from afar.”
Two years ago, I suddenly started feeling a lump in my body. When I applied to the doctor in Libya, I was told that it was a cyst and therefore, I had an operation. Later, we were unable to leave the house due to the mixed situation in the country. As I thought I was getting better, the swelling in my abdomen was gradually increasing; but at first I thought I was gaining weight because I had no pain.
“I was not afraid because I did not know the disease”
Health committee in Libya said “Your problem is in your liver. A liver transplant is necessary. You need to go to Turkey”. Frankly, I was not afraid because I did not know what this disease is and how it is treated. When I came to the hospital, I weighed 59 kg, a 5 kg mass was removed from my body, and a healthy liver from my mother was transplanted. My mother was donating her liver without hesitation. My mother and father are struggling for us to read anyway. I am now in good health and there is no obstacle for me to go to school. I will make them proud as an engineer.
Nafa Raja Salem, who gave another life to her daughter said
“I am very happy that we came to Turkey and my daughter’s life is saved”
My daughter was changing before my eyes, her belly was getting bigger and I couldn’t do anything. She could not find any clothes to wear on her way to school. Not being able to leave the house when the war broke out had further disturbed our psychology. Then we applied to the Libyan Health Committee and waited. They told us that Turkey is the right place for this operation. In the tests conducted in Libya, it was said that my husband could be a donor. I also came as a companion to my daughter. But when it turned out that my husband’s liver was not fitting, I immediately became a donor. I did not think for a moment and was not afraid. My only thought was the fear of losing my daughter, I thought of her even when I was going into surgery. We come to Turkey for the first time. We dreamed of coming here for sightseeing; but we came for health and we are really happy. Whatever happens, we return to our country with good memories.
The head of Memorial Ataşehir Hospital Organ Transplant Center Prof. Yalçın Polat gave the following information about the details of the operation applied to the Libyan patient:
When our patient applied to us, there was a huge lump in her abdomen. In our examinations, there was a tumor that filled the entire abdominal area and this tumor was originating from her liver. A diagnosis of “hepatic adenoma” was made as a result of pathological examinations. There was no normal liver tissue left. In some cases, this formation is small and the tumor is removed surgically; but in Eswekha’s case, the tumor had grown considerably and the remaining liver as a result of the removal of the adenoma would not be enough for her. The best thing to do was a transplantation. We performed a living donor liver transplantation with the liver taken from her mother. A normal liver is 1.3, 1.4 kg. Eswekha’s liver was 5 kg. Liver tumors (giant hepatic adenoma)are the results of metabolic diseases and some drugs such as hormone drugs. Now that we have successfully performed the operation, Eswekha and her mother will be able to return to their daily lives in good health.