HanoiTran Hoang Vu, 2 years old, suffered from congenital biliary atresia, severe cirrhosis, and was on the brink of death many times. His mother was determined to donate part of her liver for a transplant to save her child’s life.
Returning home after many months of taking their children from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi for treatment, the family of Mr. Tran Minh – Ms. Dinh Thi Hoang Oanh felt at peace for the first time. Baby Vu received his mother’s liver transplant in June 2023, and now his health is stable, he can run, jump, play, and has no signs of illness.
“My husband and I are grateful that our child overcame the near-death experience, giving us hope for a bright future after difficult days of treatment,” Ms. Oanh said on May 7.
Baby Hoang Vu, 2 years old, is healthy after the transplant. Image: Family provided
Since the baby was born, Mr. Minh and Ms. Oanh’s lives have only revolved around the hospital. More than a month old, baby Vu had jaundice and yellow eyes. Children’s Hospital 2 doctors concluded that the baby had congenital biliary atresia. If not treated, bile will stagnate, causing cirrhosis and death. Children with this disease often undergo Kasai surgery – a method of releasing bile with a success rate of about 75-80%, and can live to more than two years old. This is considered a temporary surgery because in the long term, without a liver transplant, the child often develops liver cell failure, hepatic coma, blood clotting disorders, portal hypertension, and death.
Vu had Kasai surgery when he was two months old, but his condition gradually worsened. The baby is often hospitalized for infectious fever, pneumonia, jaundice, yellow eyes, bloated abdomen, shrunken limbs, underweight, and takes medicine every day.
In April 2023, the baby was diagnosed with end-stage cirrhosis, with very weak liver function. A liver transplant is the only way for the baby to live. However, the cost of a liver transplant is very high, depending on what tests are needed, pre-operative complexity or post-operative complications. Normally, the total of the transplant and the costs incurred is about 500 million VND. Cases with complications or special medications will cost more.
Not to mention after transplant, the baby must have regular check-ups, requiring a clean diet and hygiene, estimated at 5-10 million per month. With good care, most children after a liver transplant can live healthy lives, go to school, live, play sports, and get married normally, but need to take anti-rejection medicine continuously.
Mr. Minh works as an office worker at a business, and Ms. Oanh is a nurse at Children’s Hospital 2, each with a monthly salary of about 10 million VND. The process of treating the child causes the family’s finances to go bankrupt. Now they need a liver transplant, the cost is beyond their ability to pay, but the couple is determined to “do anything to keep their son alive”.
“I can’t let go,” she said, adding that she borrowed from everywhere.
Luckily, in 2023, Vu will be partially supported by the Sun of Hope program (Hope Fund – VnExpress). After many examinations and tests, Ms. Oanh qualified to donate her liver to her child. The transplant took place at the National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi.
Doctor Nguyen Pham Anh Hoa, Head of the Hepatobiliary Department, National Children’s Hospital, said that before surgery, the mother is carefully examined for malignant and genetic diseases, with the goal of ensuring the donor is healthy enough to survive. work normally after transplantation.
The transplant surgery will take place in June 2023. While baby Vu was taken to the operating room, Ms. Oanh lay in the isolation room, silently praying. The mother’s heart sank as she thought of the worst case scenario.
After a long major surgery, the baby had many disorders and had to be in intensive care to ensure vital function and the function of the liver transplant. Luckily, the doctors were able to master the problem of resuscitation, the baby passed the door of death, life functions were guaranteed, the transplanted liver recovered and progressed well.
Three weeks after surgery, the liver transplant was functional and the child’s digestive system and bile ducts were circulating again. The mother’s health is also stable: “It’s really like a dream, I’m so happy.”
After liver transplant, Vu gained 5 kg and his skin was rosy. The baby must have regular check-ups, in addition, the risk of infection is always lurking due to the use of immunosuppressive drugs. The baby’s health is not as good as normal people, because he only drinks milk and eats porridge.
“The journey of taking care of a child is still very long and financially heavy, but as long as the child recovers, is healthy and develops normally, no matter how hard it is, my husband and I will try to take care of it,” Ms. Oanh said