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Donations top Rp 1b for Bilqis
A suitable liver transplant donor has not been found for Bilqis Anandya Pasha, the baby suffering from a rare liver condition, after her parents were found on Thursday to have different blood types
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suitable liver transplant donor has not been found for Bilqis Anandya Pasha, the baby suffering from a rare liver condition, after her parents were found on Thursday to have different blood types.
Bilqis’ blood type was AB, while her mother, Dewi Farida, was A and her father, Ardianta Pasha, B.
“It would be risky if the graft for the transplant is taken from his parents,” Dr. Hirlan, one of the 41-member medical team from Semarang’s Dr. Kariadi Hospital, said Thursday.
He added the greatest risk would be tissue rejection, saying that if the procedure were performed, it would be pointless. “That’s why we will conduct the second phase of testing to verify the blood types,” he said.
Financing for the operation does not seem to be an obstacle as public donations, in the form of the “Coins for Bilqis” drive launched in December 2009, reached Rp 1.108 billion (US$115,000) as of Wednesday.
The team of doctors will consult with family members to find another donor. The child, who arrived in Semarang on Wednesday, is currently being monitored.
Hopes to find a suitable type of blood from relatives are also slim with no member reported to have AB blood.
Ardianta said, “We have not thought of finding a donor [outside the family]. Our hopes rest with
the medical team. “For us, this is a test from God, and we hope for a miracle.”
Bilqis, born on Aug. 20, 2008, is suffering from biliary atresia, a condition in which the bile duct between the liver and the small intestine is blocked or absent.
Medical team leader Dr. Soemantri said Bilqis underwent a series of medical tests when she arrived at the hospital. “We are waiting for the test results to determine the right treatment,” he said.
To save her life, Bilqis underwent surgery to attach a liver to the intestines when she was six weeks old.
She was found to suffer from biliary atresia at the age of two weeks when her skin turned yellow and black. Her abdomen was distended and she broke out in rashes.
Soemantri said the team would examine Bilqis’ medical record before performing the transplant.
In the past, the hospital has performed a liver transplant on a child, the organ being donated by a family member and not a volunteer, he said, adding that an organ from the patient’s family was more suitable and minimized the chance of rejection.
