Adult liver transplant a first for SA
Son a ‘hero’ after saving father’s life
MEDICAL HISTORY: Johan van Wyk and his son JP after the procedure in Johannesburg’s Donald Gordon Medical Centre “I WAS just giving back to my father what was his,” said JP van Wyk after donating part of his liver to save his dad Johan’s life.
The 20-year-old’s generous gift of life earned him “superhero” status with his family, but he and his father also made medical history when they went under the knife for South Africa’s first live adult liver transplant.
The procedure was performed at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Parktown, Johannesburg, two weeks ago.
Without it, Johan faced an uncertain and possibly lengthy wait for an organ donation.
More than 4 000 South Africans are waiting for organ donations.
The young man from Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape said he did not think twice about helping his father when doctors first told them that a family donor was an option.
The operation was headed by liver transplant surgeon Professor Jean Botha, who spent more than a decade training and working at the University of Nebraska in Omaha under Dr Alan Langlas.
Botha and Langlas led two teams that each consisted of eight surgical specialists and nursing experts — Botha harvested the portion of the liver and Langlas transplanted the organ — in the eight-hour operation.
Until now, live liver donations have been performed only on young children and babies because of the reduced risk. A live liver transplant occurs when a piece of the donor’s liver is harvested and transplanted to the recipient. The liver is the only organ that regenerates, which makes the procedure an alternative to waiting for an organ donor.
Van Wyk, 55, who is an insurance administrator and undertaker, suffered complications after a small intestine operation in 2004. In March this year he suffered burst varices — enlarged veins in the lower part of the esophagus. This occurs most often in people with serious liver diseases.
‘‘I went to bed and woke up four days later in ICU and then I came here [Donald Gordon] for tests and was placed on the liver transplant waiting list,” he said.
Six months later, Botha pitched the idea of a live liver transplant.
‘‘All three my children immediately wanted to donate part of the liver for me. Even my wife volunteered — un- fortunately the blood group wasn’t the same. And if it wasn’t for this guy [JP], I’d be gone,” Van Wyk said.
JP now bears a large cut stretching across his abdomen as testament to his bravery. ‘‘I was very scared. I feel fine now, just a little sore,” said JP. Van Wyk’s health has already improved.
The life-saving operation has brought the family closer. JP’s older sister, Janet Erasmus, 23, said it had motivated the family to raise awareness about the need for people to become organ donors.
“Waiting for your father to die is traumatic. It’s changed our outlook on organ donation,” she said.
The average waiting time for a donor liver is between three and six months. According to the South African Organ Donor Foundation, there were 28 liver transplants performed last year.
‘‘I would have died if it wasn’t for this pioneering work. It has laid the footsteps for our South African doctors. If
This is not surgery for the elite who have medical aid. This is for everyone who needs it
someone like JP can do this, it gives hope to a lot of families,” said Van Wyk.
Botha hopes the surgeries will motivate others to consider the option because it would take significant pressure off the organ donor waiting list.
The Donald Gordon Centre pioneered live liver transplants on children, and the first in South Africa was performed last year. The team now performs at least one such procedure a month. The youngest patient was ninemonth-old Connor Mollison, who got his new liver in June.
Botha said: ‘‘This represents an enormous ability for us to do this kind of high-level operation and to train young medical staff . . . This is not surgery for the elite who have medical aid. This is for everyone who needs it.”
He said the procedure was not intended to replace conventional organ transplants, but rather to serve as an alternative to ease the transplant waiting list. “People are still dying waiting for donations and this procedure is an attempt to fill that gap.”