In the 28th week of her twin pregnancy in Izmir, mother Nazlıcan (30), who was told that her son (1), whom she named Eren Aslan, did not have a biliary tract and would require a liver transplant after birth, came to the rescue of father Uğur Admış (32), his “motherly half” aunt Hayat Elbi ( 19) caught up. While Aunt Hayat gave the “gift of life” to her nephew, who turned one year old 15 days after the transplant, Prof. Dr. Murat Kılıç said, “Baby Eren Aslan was in end-stage liver failure and his aunt’s tissue took care of him. They are both very well now.”
GIFT OF LIFE FROM 19-YEAR-OLD AUNT TO NICHE
THE PROBLEM WAS OBSERVED WHILE HE WAS IN THE WOMB
Nazlıcan Admış, who lives in Izmir, was very happy when she gave the good news of the baby to her husband Uğur Admış (32), and their happiness increased when they learned that it was a twin pregnancy. However, in the routine examination performed at the 28th week of pregnancy, it was determined that the male baby of the twins had a problem with his bile ducts. It was said that this problem would lead the baby to a liver transplant after birth. Nazlıcan Admış welcomed her son Eren Aslan and daughter Güneş Ela on June 5, 2023. However, differences began from the very first day.
Eren Aslan was put in an incubator at a university hospital immediately after birth. The little baby was treated in intensive care for 21 days, and the postpartum mother spent this process in the hospital with her little daughter. For Eren Aslan, the process leading to the transplant started under the supervision of another university hospital. While the baby was waiting to grow up, the mother had to spend most of her time in the hospital with her son, while the grandmothers looked after her little daughter. As Eren Aslan’s health condition began to deteriorate, the Admış couple applied to the hospital for transplantation. Nazlıcan Admış, who could not be a donor because her husband’s blood type did not match and she was in postpartum, was relieved by her aunt Hayat Elbi, who volunteered while she was still pregnant.
After the young aunt was found suitable as a donor, the aunt and her nephew were taken into the transplant operation on May 21. Founding head of Acıbadem City Hospital Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery Department, Prof. Dr. Murat Kılıç also said; Assoc. Dr. Cahit Yılmaz, Opr. Dr. Kamil Kılıç, Opr. Opr. Dr. Rasim Farajov, Assoc. Dr. Mert Akan, Expert. Dr. Alihan Pirim and Specialist. Dr. He pointed out that the baby was in end-stage liver failure before the transplant carried out by the team consisting of Özgür Bolat.
IF IT WAS LATE, THE BABY WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST
Prof. stated that the baby and the aunt who came for the first check-up after discharge were in good health. Dr. Kılıç gave the following information about his patient: “Eren Aslan was an 11-month-old baby and had congenital jaundice, which we call suspected biliary atrea when the jaundice did not go away. Biliary atresia is a disease that results in the absence of congenital pure pathways and the development of liver cirrhosis in a short time. And the only cure is liver transplantation. Until the age of 11 months, the child came with difficulty.
But his final state was that he could not continue without a transplant. If we didn’t get a transplant, we could lose him within a few months. When his aunt also became a donor, we performed the transplant on May 21. The transplant went well. The body retained the organ. We discharged him, he comes for check-ups. Both her aunt and the baby are healthy.