M'sian man chartered plane to fly his mum to S'pore NUH to donate his liver to her in 2021 during pandemic

A Malaysian man chartered a plane to fly his mother to Singapore in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, so that he could donate a part of his liver to her.

Details of the successful transplant was reported by 8world and Shin Min Daily News some four years after the successful transplant happened.

Diagnosed with liver failure

Ye Baolian (transliteration), a Malaysian woman, was diagnosed with Hepatitis B and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in 2021 and required a liver transplant.

She was 68 years old at the time.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly.

Could not carry out operation in Malaysia

Her ailment was originally diagnosed in a private hospital in Malaysia, but it did not have the relevant facilities to carry out a liver transplant.

Her family also could not find a medical team domestically that could perform living organ transplants.

Public hospitals at the time also faced bed shortages due to the pandemic.

The woman's son Dai Baishan (transliteration), now 40, had to look for other options.

Linked up with Singapore doctors

He was referred to several medical professors in Singapore through his network of friends in medicine.

Within two weeks, Dai was linked up with associate professor Alfred Kow Wei Chieh, a senior consultant at the National University Hospital (NUH).

Dai said: "Associate professor Kow told me that my mother's survival rate within one year after the transplant was as high as 85 per cent, and if I were the donor, the success rate of the operation would be 99.9 per cent."

Chartered plane

As border controls were strict during the pandemic, Dai had to charter a medical plane to go to Singapore to seek treatment for his mother.

He had to obtain approval from the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore to fly his mother from Kuala Lumpur for the operation at NUH.

The private transport will take him, his brother, who was a caregiver, his stepbrother, who was a back-up donor, and his mother to Singapore.

Transplant completed in 24 hours

With the assistance of the rapid response team from National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT), Dai quickly completed a donor evaluation that usually takes several weeks.

He then successfully completed the transplant operation in just 24 hours and he donated about 60 per cent of his liver to his mother.

He said it took less than 48 hours from his arrival in Singapore to the completion of the operation.

Fully recovered

Ye was subsequently hospitalised in Singapore for two months.

She then spent another two or three years gradually recovering.

One year after the operation, she was able to drive and walk, and now, at 72 years old, she can go to the market, do morning exercises, play mahjong, and cook.

Ye is also now a grandmother.

She said about her decision to undergo the transplant at the time: "I just heard my son say that there was no risk in the operation, so I believed him."

"I am very grateful to all the doctors, nurses, and of course my son for donating his liver to me," she added.

Scar on body

Dai is left with a L-shaped scar on his body.

However, he quipped: "This is my get-out-of-jail-free card when I don't want to drink alcohol anymore, and I can also share this cool experience with my friends."

Spent S$300,000

Dai revealed that the total cost, including chartering a plane, was more than S$300,000.

NUCOT revealed that since 1990, the centre has completed a total of 519 liver transplants, of which 254 were from living donors.

There were 63 patients waiting for liver transplants last year, eight more than in 2023.

Kow said the demand for liver transplants has increased significantly in the past 10 years.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News