艾米·巴格达迪(Amy Baghdadi)过着完全正常的生活——作为一名律师,和丈夫在旧金山抚养两个年幼的孩子. 当她在训练半程马拉松时,她的身体会在长跑后疼痛. She figured it was just a pulled muscle, 但有一天晚上,疼痛变得如此难以忍受,她的丈夫说服她去了急诊室. 超声检查显示,她的肝脏充满了肿瘤,很快被诊断为癌症.
Cancer Patient Receives the Gift of a Lifetime
在激进的化疗方案失败后,巴格达迪的治疗选择已经不多了. Liver transplant was a possibility, 但大多数医疗中心不考虑癌症患者进行移植.
With the clock ticking and her cancer possibly spreading, Dr. 约翰·罗伯茨博士. 加州大学旧金山分校(UCSF)夫妻移植团队的南希·阿舍尔(Nancy 亚瑟)进行了一次手术 living donor liver transplant 在巴格达迪. The transplant was a success. Baghdadi and her donor, 奥利维亚Lemen, 已经完全康复, and the experience has created an enduring bond between them.
Why were you turned down at other hospitals for a transplant?
我想是因为我的癌症非常严重,我的肺里有一些结节,可能是癌性的,也可能不是癌性的,我们仍然不知道. If cancer has metastasized, people generally aren't candidates for the transplant, 所以很多人担心我的癌症已经扩散了,因此我不是一个可行的候选人. It was too high a risk.
How much did you know about liver transplants before?
在我生病之前, 除了在车管所填表格外,我对器官捐赠的过程知之甚少. I didn't know that the liver can regenerate, that a living donor can give you part of their liver, 他们的肝脏可以长回来,移植的肝脏在接受者体内会长到完全大小.
见见艾米的护理团队
Why was UCSF willing to perform a transplant on you?
I had an interesting conversation with Dr. 罗伯茨 about the surgery and the potential for success. 其中一个问题是, 当然, was that someone in my situation has the potential for recurrence of cancer; you don't want to waste a good organ on a person who is just going to get the cancer again. Dr. 罗伯茨对我说, "Even if we can only buy you five years, 我们再给你五年的时间因为医学科学的进步如此之大, 谁知道, 我们可以找到解药.“他愿意在我身上冒这个险,给我时间,这真是令人难以置信的温暖.
In the year since my transplant, 他们发现了基因标记,他们认为这是导致我所患的一种非常罕见的癌症的原因, which is the first step toward finding a cure. If my cancer were ever to come back, which hopefully it won't, there is a possibility that by that time, I will be in a much better place.
How did you look for a living donor?
一想到要我所爱的人冒着可能的生命危险来救我,我就很纠结.
I had been writing an email every week or so, explaining my situation and what was going on with treatment. 当时所有人都知道我在研究移植手术. 所以我在电子邮件中写道,活体捐赠者对我来说是可能的,有点半开玩笑地说, “如果你是0型, 年龄在55岁以下, 你很健康, and you want to get rid of half of your liver, 想想看.我对着键盘大哭起来,心想:“我怎么能做到呢??" It was really hard but if I don't send it, I'm going to die. I looked at my kids and I had to at least try. 点击发送.
How many responses did you get to that email?
我们对那些说他们会做或者希望他们能做的人的反应感到不知所措. I think we had eight people ask about the application packet, which is the first step in being considered to be a donor.
Were you floored by the generosity?
Absolutely; it was unbelievable. 真的很难想象那些冒着生命危险去做手术的人. 但我也非常感激和自豪地认识这些了不起的人,他们会以这样无私的方式帮助别人. 这让我感到非常幸运,在我的生活中有这么好的人.
How did Olivia become your donor?
奥利维亚听说了我的情况,我们聊了起来,她灵光一现. It was absolutely like this was what is meant to be. Olivia met all the criteria – she was healthy, she was taller than me, she was young and perfect in every way. 另外,我了解她这个人,我知道我可以和她一起做这件事. 你不能对每个人都这么说,因为这是一个非常情绪化的过程. You have to be so incredibly close. I think that was something that felt right immediately.
How did you know Olivia?
我母亲是一名退休的公立学校教师,奥利维亚的母亲也是. They taught together for over 25 years in Santa Rosa.
Describe the day of the surgery.
We spent the night at the hospital, 早上起得很早,被带去做手术准备. 在准备室里,我能听到窗帘另一边奥利维亚的声音, so we asked if we could open the curtain. We held hands as they were getting us both ready.
我先下去的——我们知道这对我来说将是一个大约12个小时的过程, 对她来说稍微少一点, and that I would start. 也, 没有人知道我们是否真的要进行移植手术,直到他们给我开刀,确定癌症没有扩散.
我们开玩笑说,那天我们的家人最难过,因为他们是在候诊室里等了12个小时的人, 等待消息. 第一个, waiting to hear whether it was even going to happen, 然后我们每个人都出来了,而且很成功.
From the very first moment it was all great news. Everything just went as well as it could.
When did you first see Olivia after the surgery?
I was only in the intensive care unit for about 24 hours. 然后我被带到我的房间,和奥利维亚的房间隔着两扇门. 他们告诉我尽快站起来走路很重要, so my first steps were to her room to check on her.
My first thoughts when I woke up were, "I hope she is OK. Please don't let anything happen to her.“我有自己的问题,但只要她没事,就没事了. 所以我得去看看她,确保她没事,她确实. 她看起来很棒.
What went through your mind after the surgery?
显然这是一个大手术,我知道这将是一个漫长的过程, 愈合缓慢, 但这是一个治愈的过程,通过这个过程,我最终会变得更好. I was going to be well again. So I looked at every day as a gift.
你现在感觉怎么样?
Since the surgery I feel as good as I ever have. It is a miracle to me every day that that could be possible.
我对生活和生活中一切事物的看法发生了巨大的变化. 我认为你不可能在经历了这样的经历后,又回到以前的生活. 它真的帮助我看到了生活中什么是重要的,我知道和我的家人和我爱的人在一起就是一切. I am so grateful to be here.
What was your experience like at UCSF?
Living here, I always knew that UCSF does amazing work. But having gone through the system with such a rare illness, needing such dramatic treatment and care, 我对在那里工作的人的才能和奉献精神表示赞赏. 所有这些人都为拯救他人的生命付出了这么多,做出了改变.
你能解释一下移植手术后你和奥利维亚之间的关系吗?
Olivia and I say we are "liver sisters." It's funny but true – we truly feel that we are family. I have a part of her in me. My hair grew back a little bit curly after chemo, and she likes to joke that it wasn't the chemo, it was her that gave me some curl to my hair.
We're in contact all the time. I don't know how else to explain it, but I do feel like she is a part of me, 不仅仅是字面上, 但她是我生命中无法想象没有的人.