Five receive the gift of life from organ donor

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Five people received the ultimate gift – that of life itself – when they underwent transplant operations simultaneously here on Friday.
Among the operations was a single lung transplant – a first in Malaysia.
The recipient, an assistant superintendent of police and father of four, received a left lung at National Heart Institute (IJN).
The operation, performed by a team of 25 medical personnel led by IJN director of transplantation Dr Mohamed Ezani Md Taib, took some 10 hours.
“Lung transplantation is only performed on patients suffering from end-stage lung diseases, and the recipient has been suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis since 1999.
“He is recuperating well. He has been weaned off the ventilator and is breathing on his own but is expected to remain in intensive care for at least a week more,” said Dr Mohamed Ezani.
He was speaking at a press conference yesterday held by IJN and Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Muhammad Fikri Nor Azmi, 15, who had been fitted with a mechanical heart in July, underwent a heart transplant, also at IJN.
“His first question when he woke up the day after the operation was: ‘Do I still have a mechanical heart?’
“When he was told no, he went back to sleep,” said IJN medical director Dr Robaayah Zambahari.
In addition to the operations at IJN, a 35-year-old man underwent a kidney transplant, and a year-old child a liver transplant, at Selayang Hospital. Another kidney transplant was performed at Kuala Lumpur Hospital on a 29-year-old woman.
The police officer, Muhammad Fikri and the other three received organs from a 21-year-old donor from Kuala Lumpur, who was declared brain dead on Friday after suffering head injuries.
Dr Robaayah added: “We want to thank the family of the donor, who in a time of tremendous bereavement, was still generous enough to donate his organs to save the lives of others.”
From January 2003 till now, 44 patients from all over the country have been referred to the Institute of Respiratory Illnesses for lung transplant. Of these, 29 fulfilled the criteria for transplantation. Eight have died while still on the waiting list.
When met, Muhammad Fikri’s mother Fatimah Osman said: “Our long wait is over. We are very relieved. He’s doing well now and we plan to take one day at a time.
“I haven’t thought about his schooling or other programmes yet. Right now, we only want him to get well.”