Karnataka: Youth donates half his liver to sister with Wilson’s disease

BENGALURU: An 18-year-old girl from Holenarasipura in Hassan district, who suffered from a life-threatening liver disorder, recently got a new lease of life. Sambhrama BD’s saviour was her elder brother Sanjay who donated half of his liver to her.


Sambhrama had developed frequent bouts of stomach ache and vomiting, and later, jaundice. While her condition went undiagnosed at multiple hospitals in Hassan, she was brought to Apollo Hospitals on April 16. She was finally diagnosed with copper accumulated in her liver, leading to copper poisoning. The condition, Wilson’s disease, is characterised by copper deposition in liver and a rarely seen disorder runs in the family.

“When the brother came forward to donate, we were wondering what if he also suffers from the disorder. Thankfully, he was not affected,” said Dr Suresh Raghavaiah, hepato-pancreato-biliary and multi-organ transplant surgeon at Apollo Hospitals.

The liver transplant was conducted on April 19. In her case, if not for the brother, it would not have been easy to get liver from a cadaver donor immediately. “We would have registered with Jeevasarthakathe (cadaver organ transplant wing of Karnataka) and flagged her case as super urgent. But her condition was quite critical. She was unconscious for five days,” he added.

A team of six doctors conducted the procedure on the duo. When the agrarian family ran out of money, the doctors too pitched in. A liver transplant surgery costs over Rs 18-25 lakh, depending on the complexity.

“The copper that enters human body, and required for healthy growth is further digested in liver. When the liver fails to process copper, it leads to deposition. In her case, copper deposition was seen in her eyes and brain too,” said Dr Suresh.

She cleared PU with first class

Sanjay said he’s happy to see his sister recovering. “It was my mother who wanted to donate first, but then the blood group didn’t match. I volunteered as her group matched with mine,” he said.

While Sambhrama had just finished her second PU exam a day prior to her hospitalisation, Sanjay’s BA fourth semester exams were round the corner. Post-transplant, Sanjay could not appear for the exam. Despite her condition, Sambhrama secured first class.