Pandemic No Barrier For Life-Saving Brother
A Slough service advisor has overcome barriers presented by the pandemic to save his brother’s life by travelling almost four thousand miles to Pakistan and donating 70 per cent of his liver.
Babar Murtaza, 49, received the devastating news that his brother, 50-year-old Adnan, who lives in Pakistan, had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver connected with contracting Hepatitis B as a child. Following a course of medication, doctors advised Adnan he needed a liver transplant.
Babar said: “In Pakistan, unlike the UK, there is no centralised health care system like the NHS. If you are looking for good health care you have to find reputable private hospitals. We didn't know initially if Pakistan had a liver transplant facility and if there was, we didn't know if it was reliable.
“We began to look at facilities both in Pakistan and outside Pakistan. We then discovered there are two types of liver transplant surgery; orthotopic liver transplant, where whole liver is taken from a recently deceased donor, or a living donor transplant.”
While exploring his options, Adnan’s condition worsened, and he developed an infection which damaged his liver further. Adnan’s only option was to receive a living transplant, and the law in Pakistan states that the first choice for the donor should be from the immediate family.
To be a donor, the recipient and donor blood group must be same, and Babar was a match. Babar, who works as a service advisor at Vertu Mercedes Benz of Slough, committed to make the 3,767 mile journey to his home country to donate 70 per cent of his liver to save his brother’s life.
The transplant surgery, which fell on Babar’s birthday, was successful and Adnan is on the road to making a good recovery.
Babar added: “It was very easy for me to make the decision to save Adnan’s life. I was monitoring the whole situation from the beginning and could see the suffering of my brother every day. I was far away and couldn't do much to help him but when thing got to the stage where I knew his life was in danger, I was ready and made up my mind to donate part of my liver if that can save his life.
“I am so grateful to the team at Vertu Mercedes Benz of Slough for supporting me throughout this difficult time, I couldn’t have done it without them. It will be a little while before I fully recover and can go back home to the UK and to work, but it is a wonderful feeling knowing my brother will be okay.”
Adnan said: “I will be forever grateful to Babar for what he has done for me and our family. It was truly selfless, and no words will ever describe how thankful I am.
“We have always been very close, we were born only a year apart and we grew up together as not only brothers, but best friends. I hope that one day I can repay him for his kindness.”
