Against all odds, Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem saved the life of a man suffering from liver disease who was told he only had two more years to live. Yet, the doctor responsible for saving his life claims he could not have survived were it not for his family. "As soon as we were informed he had two years left to live, we saw the clock ticking back and how slowly we were losing our child. Thanks to [Hadassah], my son is alive today," said Marcel, Amir Hassan's mother.
Hassan, 42, husband and father to two children, was admitted to the hospital this year with severe liver disease, which he had been suffering from since 2011 yet had gotten worse within the last year. Upon arriving at the hospital, he was told that his situation was too dire, that his liver had shut down completely and that he had to be put on the emergency transplant list.
"Most of the doctors were pessimistic and explained to me and my family that there was nothing left to do and that I had two years left to live. At first, we were very confused, we did not understand what to do with this bitter news. Fortunately I have a family that continued to surround me, and they decided that they will not give up on me and to find out about more," Hassan explained.
"Amir's dedicated family came to us and explained the medical condition that he was suffering from. We went over his medical history and the many medical documents collected over the last few years, and examined the issue in depth, and even explored the possibility of family support after the surgery," said Prof. Rifat Safdi, director of the Liver Disease Unit at Hadassah.
According to Prof. Safdi, going over plans for continued family support is important because "many different studies - including those performed at Hadassah, show that the transplant results in patients with real support, recover better and get back to a healthier life."
Hassan was in severe stages of cirrhosis of the liver he suffered from fluid retention, inability of the liver to neutralize toxins like ammonia which caused him confusion and slowness, behavior change, and tremors, according to Prof. Safdi.
Despite the state of the situation, Hassan recovered quickly and the results were "wonderful."
"His confusion ceased and there was a significant improvement in his cognitive, mental and functional condition. Moreover, his family members stayed with him 24/7, they showed great dedication and slept with him all night, taking care of him constantly," Prof. Safdi said.
"I am happy with the joy of the family and the joy of Amir, the results with us were wonderful thanks to an extensive team and the faithful hands of Dr. Abed Khalaila who operated on him. The responsiveness, awareness and support from the family were amazing and had a lot of weight in Amir’s rehabilitation after the surgery. Everyone contributed to the success of the transplant," she said.
"The extensive experience that our multidisciplinary team has is very essential in such a process, and I am happy about our ability to save lives."