Woman donates 65% of her liver to save brother

Kurla resident Nisha Vani did not flinch an inch before deciding to donate a major part of her liver to her ailing brother. A month ago, 27-year-old Nisha, and her brother Nilesh Bhaisade, 29, had gone under the scalpel in adjoining operation theatres for a live-related liver transplant surgery.

In such a transplant, up to 70 per cent of a living donor’s liver is extracted and transplanted in the body of the ill recipient.  

Up to 65 per cent of Nisha’s liver was transplanted in Nilesh’s body. “It was the day of Raksha bandhan. The surgery lasted for over16 hours. Nilesh’s degraded liver was removed and a part of his sister’s liver was transplanted in his body. Liver has a tendency to grow wholly in a span of three weeks in both the donor and recipient’s body,” said Dr Kanoria. 

On Tuesday, both appeared in good health as they came for their weekly check-up to the hospital. “Two years ago, my brother started ailing terribly. His stomach started bloating up. He had swollen legs and was keeping very sick,” rued Nisha. 

Nilesh and his family were running from pillar to post to nail the ailment which was slowly draining him out. “Since 2012, we had admitted Nilesh in four hospitals, including the civic-run Sion Hospital. He was wrongly diagnosed as having jaundice and typhoid, when his liver had started degrading terribly,” said Priyanka, 26, Nilesh’s wife.

A business development representative with a leading private bank, Nilesh got into the habit of consuming excess alcohol. “By the time he was presented to us, his entire liver had gone bad. He barely had three weeks to live. He did not have time to get enrolled in the cadaver donation waiting list to get an organ from a brain-dead person,” said Dr Sanjeev Kanoria, senior consultant surgeon, LH Hiranandani Hospital at Powai.

Nilesh’s family was scourging desperately for an immediate relative whose blood group would match with him. “While Nilesh has the blood group B+ve, his sister Nisha is a B-ve. All the other family members had different blood groups and were not compatible,” said Dr Rahul Kakodkar, senior consultant surgeon at the hospital. 

The entire procedure cost Nilesh Rs4.5 lakh as the surgeons subsidised it for him. Many patients go to Chennai or Delhi and spend up to Rs25 lakh for a transplant. “I am extremely lucky to have a loving sister who saved my life while putting her’s in danger,” Nilesh told dna. 

What’s live-related liver transplant?
A donor-recipient match is arrived at after thorough examination of blood group and liver fitness levels of the donor.

Both donor and recipient are then taken in for surgery in adjoining operation theatres

Diseased liver of ill recipient is removed.

Up to 70 per cent liver of donor is removed and transplanted.

Liver has a tendency to grow wholly in a span of three weeks in both the donor and recipient’s bodies.

Who needs a liver transplant?
Liver cirrhosis patient with a liver that has degraded beyond repair (Liver cirrhosis can occur in patients who consume alcohol or are affected with Hepatitis B or C infection through faulty blood transfusion, infected syringes or unsafe sex) .

If liver transplant is not carried out liver cirrhosis patients die within a year

Patient suffering from liver cancer.