Feature Article July 22, 2004
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Brotherly love - Hannah brothers share liverby Zelda Hannah & Angie Mallette
From left to right: Derril Hannah, mother Zelda, Ben and sister Angie Mallette
About 15 years ago, Ben Hannah, now aged 41, was diagnosed with Krohns disease, which had grown around the bile ducts of his liver. The prognosis was grim Ben was told that eventually he would need a new liver.
Last spring, Ben was sent to Toronto General Hospital by his Kingston doctor, to be assessed for the possibility of having a Living Donor Liver Transplant. He was given the go-ahead, and family members filled out medical data forms to find the closest match for Ben. His younger brother Derrill, 37, was chosen as the best candidate for donor, and in-depth testing confirmed his suitability.
In a Living Donor Liver Transplant, one lobe of the donors liver is transplanted into the recipient, whose diseased liver is completely removed. The transplanted lobe will eventually regenerate enough tissue to function at a satisfactory level for the recipient. The remaining liver tissue within the donor will also regenerate tissue, continuing to function normally.
June 14th was the scheduled date of surgery in Toronto, but due to unforeseen complications, the operation was postponed until June 28th. The procedure went well, and both brothers returned to their homes to recuperate. Ben has since had to return twice to Toronto because of infections, but other than these setbacks, both livers seem to be functioning well. Hopefully they should be normal size in six weeks.
These Living Donor Liver transplants have only been performed in Toronto since 2000. Derrill and Ben were 87th on the list. We are truly grateful for the wonderful surgeons and staff who perform these miracles. Maybe in the future there will be more breakthroughs in medical health care so more lives can be saved.
