On one day in September 2022, Live Again had the opportunity to meet the family of Uncle H – the first Vietnamese to have a liver transplant at Asan Seoul Hospital. At the talk, Live Again not only heard the uncle and aunt share about the treatment process, but also felt the love of the family for the uncle. Listen with Live Again to see how he’s regaining his health!
“At that time, at the end of November, early December 2012, after a reception, we had a drinking competition until we were drunk. Normally, after 1-2 days I sober up and go to work normally. But that time I stayed at home for 5-6 days and still felt tired. Hearing that I was tired, some friends came to visit. Sitting and talking, my appearance was not normal, so my friend called his friend who is a doctor at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy hospital to examine me. When I went to see the doctor, he saw me and told me to go to the hospital immediately. I still remember that it was Saturday, I smiled and said: “If I’m going to be hospitalized, I’ll wait until the first Monday of the week. It’s not so urgent.” But the doctor insisted that he be hospitalized immediately.
I was hospitalized and determined to have acute alcoholic hepatitis. After 2 days of lying down, I fell into a deep coma. The hospital prescribed me dialysis, so I was transferred to Cho Ray Hospital. But after dialysis, I only woke up 2 days later and continued to be in a coma, starting with multiple organ failure. At this time, the doctors shook their heads and someone told my wife to prepare for the funeral.
At that time, Asan Hospital was cooperating with Cho Ray Hospital to transfer liver transplant techniques. When I was at Cho Ray Hospital, there was a group of doctors in charge who were working with Cho Ray. As a city official, the city leaders asked Cho Ray to ask Asan doctors to come and examine me. The Asan doctors examined me and recommended that I be taken to Asan Hospital in Seoul for a liver transplant if there was any hope of saving my life. Later, I heard the city leaders say it was my wife’s decision: “There was only 1% left to save him, and my wife took him away.” And everything was decided, within 2 days I was put on a plane and sent to Seoul, Korea.
After deciding to come to Korea, all my relatives, friends and doctors at the Vietnamese hospital and Asan Seoul hospital gave their full support to help me get to Korea as quickly as possible. Arriving at Incheon airport, Asan Seoul Hospital was ready to pick me up at the foot of the plane and take me straight to Asan Seoul Hospital by ambulance.
One very difficult thing was that when I got on the plane, Doctor Song discovered that I had a lung infection while lying in Cho Ray. So when I went to Asan Seoul Hospital, the doctors had to treat a lung infection before a liver transplant could be performed. And I had to lie down for 9 days while the pulmonology doctors treated my lungs.
I thought there was no hope, but luck continued to smile at me. It was December 23, 2012, everyone was preparing to celebrate Christmas, in the hospital lobby a large pine tree was erected. Seeing people attach prayers to the tree, my wife and two sons also tied them to the tree with the hope that I will recover soon (even though my family is not religious). That night, the doctors reported the news that “the lungs have recovered, and a liver transplant can be performed immediately.”
After Christmas, after everyone celebrated Christmas, at 9am on December 25, 2012, my son and I went into the operating room. Dr. Lee was the main person who operated on me and removed my son’s liver. I later heard back that the surgery was completed around 9-10 o’clock that night. Miraculously, after 14 days in a coma, I woke up around 9am. The first person the doctor asked me to see was my wife to see if I had lost my memory. Luckily I still recognize my wife!
After surgery, I stayed for treatment until March 2013, when I was discharged home and returned to work normally the next day after returning home. Most of the leaders, brothers and friends saw my return to work as a miracle.
At that time, liver transplants were still very strange in Vietnam, but at Asan Seoul Hospital there were more than 3,000 successful transplants, and I was the first Vietnamese person to have a liver transplant in Asan.
Up to now, there must be many Vietnamese people who have had liver transplants at Asan Seoul Hospital. When undergoing examination and treatment, there is a support team for Vietnamese patients at Asan Seoul Hospital.
In the last 3 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have not been able to have regular follow-up examinations, but through the Vietnamese patient support team at Asan Seoul Hospital, I still coordinate and ensure daily medication intake.
Coming up to Christmas 2022, I will celebrate 10 years after my liver transplant. Through this story, first of all, I can express my gratitude to the doctors, nurses, nurses and staff of the International Healthcare Center, and the members of the Vietnamese patient support team at Asan Seoul Hospital. Especially let me send my sincere thanks to my two saviors, Doctors Lee, Sung-Gyu and Doctor Song Gi-won.”
