June 5, 2009

Saving sister's life

He readily offers his liver for transplant; both are out of hospital and well
By Salma Khalik, Health Correspondent

Mr Timothy Chua with his sister Hwee Sian and transplant surgeon Jeyaraj Prema Raj at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, after the surgery in April that saw her receive part of her brother's liver. Despite the risks to his health, Mr Chua did not hesitate to be a donor.

It started as a case of jaundice, in late March. Within a week, Madam Chua Hwee Sian, 43, started slipping into a coma.

Tests showed that the accountant's liver was severely damaged.

On April 4, liver expert Dr Lui Hock Foong and transplant surgeon Dr Jeyaraj Prema Raj were called in.

They told her husband, Mr Ng Aik Sun, that her only hope was to get a liver transplant.

But her liver failed completely within a day and she had to be put on dialysis, which can sustain a patient for just two to three days, unlike for kidney failure where regular dialysis lets patients live for years.