Teen with rare liver condition gets new lease on life, thanks to a stranger
SINGAPORE — They were complete strangers until three weeks ago. But teenager Lim Si Jia has 54-year-old Mr Lim Kok Seng to thank for a new lease on life.
Mr Lim Kok Seng (left) is the first person in Singapore to donate part of his liver to a complete stranger — 16-year-old Lim Si Jia. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY
SINGAPORE — They were complete strangers until three weeks ago. But teenager Lim Si Jia has 54-year-old Mr Lim Kok Seng to thank for a new lease on life.
Si Jia, 16, was eight when she was diagnosed with glycogen storage disease, a rare condition where her liver could not produce an enzyme needed to break down the body’s storage of sugar.
The accumulation of sugar in her body could potentially result in tumours, aside from affecting her growth. Though her family has helped her cope through various means, such as by giving her a regular mix of cornstarch and water before bed time to provide her a constant supply of glucose, what Si Jia really needed was a liver transplant.
A match was finally found in January this year and a successful operation was conducted by a team from the National University Hospital (NUH) on March 24. This made Mr Lim the first person in Singapore to donate his liver to a complete stranger, or what is officially termed an “altruistic non-directed” donor.
In such cases, the donor does not specify who will receive the liver and it will be donated to the most needy and compatible patient on the waiting list.
Mr Lim, a security concierge officer and registered organ donor for 30 years, signed up as a non-directed liver donor in January 2015. He said he decided to be a non-directed liver donor so that he could make the donation while his liver was still in a healthy condition.
As part of the process, Mr Lim went through many rounds of tests before being told this January that there was a compatible recipient.
“We have been a red dot of excellence in many fields for the last 50 years. With this simple act of mine, I was hoping this little red dot to be more compassionate for those in need,” said Mr Lim.
Si Jia said she is “really grateful to him and admires his courage”. Although she has to take numerous medications in the six months following the surgery, the teenager is healthy. Mr Lim is also in a healthy condition and his liver is expected to regenerate fully within three months since the surgery.
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