61-year-old Osman Gürbüz left his country in 1972 and worked as a worker in France. Gürbüz, who has been living away from his country for 40 years, has been receiving treatment for approximately 6 years with the diagnosis of diabetes and cirrhosis in France. During this 6-year, he was treated three times due to varicose veins occurring in the esophagus and he got sick again when he came to Turkey. Gürbüz, who was hospitalized and diagnosed with liver failure, had to have a liver transplant for treatment; however, none of Gürbüz’s 5 children were compatible for liver transplantation. The donor that will help him regain his health; İsmail Gürbüz, the son in law who had known his blood type was wrong for years.

Osman Gürbüz, who was diagnosed with liver failure as a result of the examinations and tests performed by the head of Memorial Ataşehir Hospital Organ Transplant Department Prof. Dr.Yalçın Polat, expressed his feelings after the transplant with the following words:

“The doctors in France gave me a report to incapacity to work”

I went to France in 1972 as a construction worker. We have been living in France with my family for 40 years. I have 2 daughters and 3 sons and 10 grandchildren. I had diabetes 6 years ago. During the time I lived in France, I had bleeding three times due to varicose veins in my esophagus. I had just been diagnosed with cirrhosis and had treatment for it; but no information was given about the transplant. I was experiencing constant weakness and tiredness. Doctors had given a report for incapability to work. In my hometown, where I came for vacation in 2011, I had another bleeding and was hospitalized. And I learned that the only way to get rid of this disease was liver transplant.

“Only my son in law was fit to be a donor”

When I learned that my treatment would be by transplantation, I immediately wanted to be registered for the cadaver. I didn’t want anyone in my family to be a donor; however, my children knew that there would be a long wait for transplants from cadavers. They didn’t want to wait for it and they all had the tests to be a donor; but nobody was compatible for it. The only person who fitted was my son-in-law, İsmail.

İsmail Başar, who learned that his blood type was 0 Rh positive during the examinations performed in the hospital and donated his liver to his father-in-law, said after the transplant:

I am 27 years old and have been married for 6 years. We also have a 3 year old daughter. I am doing a textile business in France. While determining our blood group in the military, they informed me that it was A Rh positive. I thought so until today. When I saw that my wife’s older brother, who wanted to be a donor to his father, was doing the necessary tests and he learned that his blood type was wrong, I also asked to be examined again and my guess turned out to be correct. My blood type that I had known to be A Rh positive was actually 0 Rh positive. It was the blood type suitable for our father as well, and I never thought about being a donor at that moment. We are always on the side of our father as his children. We now share a biological part with my father-in-law.