Son loses 10kg to donate liver and save mother with cancer

Months of preparation and determination led a son to donate his liver to his mother after losing 10 kg. A roughly 10-hour surgery helped his mother regain her strength.

On Feb. 11, the liver transplant team at Gachon University Gil Medical Center performed a living donor liver transplant on Marina Jang, a third-generation Korean-Uzbekistani who had been undergoing treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). About 8 kg of ascites that had accumulated in Ms. Jang's body was removed, and she was discharged in good health on Feb. 27. The son who donated his liver to his mother also recovered quickly.

“Thanks to the help of the Gil Medical Center medical staff, I have gained a new life. Above all, I am most grateful that my son is smiling by my side again,” Ms. Jang said after the surgery. “Since this new life was given to me thanks to my son, I will take better care of my health and live the rest of my life for my family.”

The liver transplant team at Gachon University Gil Medical Center successfully completed a liver transplant for Ms. Marina Jang, a hepatocellular carcinoma patient. From left in the front row are Ms. Jang’s mother, Ms. Lee Glazia; Professors Kim Doo-jin and Choi Sang-tae; Ms. Marina Jang; and Professor Yang Jae-hun. At the far right in the back row is Organ Transplant Center Coordinator Hwang Ga-hye. (Courtesy of Gachon University Gil Medical Center)

Ms. Jang, 48, moved from Uzbekistan to Korea over 20 years ago. She was diagnosed with hepatitis B in 2019, which progressed to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, eventually requiring a liver transplant.

Her son volunteered as a living donor. However, initial tests revealed that he had fatty liver disease. Over several months, he exercised and managed his diet, ultimately losing about 10 kg and passing the donor screening.

After he passed the donor screening, Gil Medical Center collaborated with relevant agencies, including the district office, to complete administrative procedures for the foreign patient's documentation and family relationship verification. Once approval from the Korean Network for Organ Sharing (KONOS) was obtained, the surgery date was set.

Recalling that time, Ms. Jang said, “My son, whose health was not perfect due to fatty liver disease, decided on the transplant because he believed his mother needed to be healthy, especially for his younger sibling. He worked hard for several months, combining exercise and diet to lose about 10 kg.” She added, “Watching him, I was deeply moved by the thought that this son, whom I had always seen as just a child, cared for his family more than anyone else.”

The surgery was overseen by Professor Kim Doo-jin of the Department of Surgery, with Professors Choi Sang-tae and Yang Jae-hun serving as operating surgeons.

“This was a case where, in a situation where finding a donor was difficult, the son underwent months of preparation to donate his liver to his mother,” Professor Kim said. “It was an extremely challenging surgery requiring simultaneous procedures on both the donor and recipient to ensure their health, but it succeeded thanks to the dedication of the liver transplant team.”

Professor Yang noted, “Since the son donated approximately two-thirds of his liver to the patient, we paid extra attention to his post-donation care. Fortunately, he has now recovered most of the function in his remaining liver and is leading a healthy daily life.”