Hörmet Tatlısu, 50, had been struggling with liver failure for about 6 years. Tatlısu, who first learned that she had “jaundice” while pregnant with her daughter, constantly postponed the treatment of her disease, which turned into cirrhosis. Derya Melek, 22, gave her liver to her mother who was caught with this disease while she was pregnant with her and brought her back to life.
Liver Recipient Hörmet Tatlısu
“Ignoring my illness was almost costing my life”
I am a mother of two girls and a boy. It was revealed that I had jaundice when I was pregnant with my second daughter, Derya. My father and siblings also had jaundice. My father passed away 15 years ago from liver cancer. I have always postponed my illness due to the bad days I went through and the divorce process. I did not take any steps regarding treatment because I was working in jobs that were suitable for me, taking care of my children and supporting my home.
“I was scratching my legs until they bled.”
My illness, which started to show itself in 2006, caused my relationship with the outside world to break. My weakness had increased day by day, I was almost unable to walk on the road. My legs were itching incredibly. I could only feel comfortable when itchy places bleed. If I tried to go out and walk for a minute, then I would stop and rest for five minutes. I was diagnosed with “anemia” in a hospital I went to because of these complaints and a treatment was applied accordingly. This situation made the treatment of my disease even more late. Then I applied to different doctors. After meeting Prof. Yalçın Polat, I was diagnosed with liver failure as a result of all the examinations and a decision was made for transplantation.
“First I gave life to my daughter, then she became a life for me”
“My daughter is a piece of my life. I raised my 3 children alone, and brought them to this day. Derya always said, “Mom, I will give you the liver,” from the moment she learned about my illness. I thought “What if she gets sick after giving me his liver and something happens to her” and I was very scared. But she was so eager to bring me back to life; I could not break it. For a mother, living with a part of her child was one of the most special feelings in the world.
“When I look in the mirror, it makes me very happy to see white in my eyes instead of yellow”
After the transplant, I feel like I’m reborn. My friends around me say that my pupils are glowing. It makes me so happy. I had Hepatitis B vaccine given to all of my children again. We are now making plans to travel with my children. I hope we will live healthier days, and we will travel through Turkey.
Derya Melek, liver donor
“The peace of mind of restoring my mother’s health is worth everything”
Six years ago, I had the worst days of my life. I grew up with these bad days. While my friends were traveling with their mothers, I saw my mother tired and sick. She couldn’t even cook for us. I wanted to do my best to restore my mother’s health. I had the necessary tests done without any fear. My sister also wanted to give her liver to my mother, but I was really happy when my liver fit. Because I was always telling my mother during the illness that I would give my liver. All I thought was my mother getting better. The best gift I could give my mother would be to restore her health.
The doctor who performed living-donor liver transplant, Prof. K. Yalçın POLAT:
“The disease was becoming life threatening”
We diagnosed Hörmet Tatlısu, who applied to us with weight loss, jaundice, fluid retention, abdominal swelling and weakness, as end-stage liver failure. Because Hepatitis B was chronic. The reason for her intense itching is called “cholestasis”. It was the inability of the liver to make enough bile and the accumulation of bilirubin under the skin. When we look at the general condition of our patient, only transplantation could restore her health. Unfortunately, we know that there is a long waiting list for cadaver transplants due to lack of donations. Therefore, we ran tests and examinations to both of her daughters and saw that Derya’s liver was compatible. We performed the transplant by taking the right half of the liver. We used only one unit of blood for this operation. Currently, Mrs. Tatlısu’s liver functions are quite normal. She returned to her normal life in a short time.
“Every newborn should have Hepatitis B vaccine”
Organ transplants are a hope for people who are waiting to die due to various diseases. Therefore, we should give more importance to organ donations in our country. Being conscious of vaccines has the most important place in our fight against diseases. Because the protection of Hepatitis B vaccine is above 95%. Every newborn must have Hepatitis B vaccine. It should be checked after 5 years, if necessary, the vaccine should be repeated.