Transplanting Hope

The liver has been called the noble organ-the organ of life. The term liver is derived from the verb-'to live'. Liver failure is a life-threatening condition that demands urgent medical care. Liver failure occurs when the liver begins to shut down after being damaged beyond repair gradually over months and years or in a fulminant catastrophic manner over a short period of time. The liver also is the site for production of many enzymes, lack of which may or may not damage the liver per se but result in liver based metabolic diseases that limit or threaten life.
The modality of liver transplantation has revolutionized the treatment of such hitherto unsalvageable acute liver failure, end stage liver disease, certain liver tumors and liver based metabolic disorders. The first successful liver transplant from a deceased donor was performed by Starzl in 1967. Due to paucity of cadaveric donors, living donor liver transplant was first attempted for children in 1988.
The first successful liver transplant in India was performed at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in 1998. Twenty-six years down the line, India is now a destination for liver transplantation catering to patients from many countries.
Transplanting Hope follows the journey of pain, hope and healing of twenty-five such liver transplant patients.