“Korean Doctors Saved My Life and My Dream,” says a Russian Boy with Big Smile
“Korean Doctors Saved My Life and My Dream,” says a Russian Boy with Big Smile
A Russian student whose life was at risk without kidney transplant recovered his health thanks to the help given by Seoul National University Hospital Transplant Center.
It is a story of Evgenii (16 years old) who dreamed of becoming a banker in the future. Enjoying vigorous sports such as swimming and karate, he used to be a typical youth with thriving health and energy. However, he started to suffer from severe fatigue and less frequent urination last year. He went to a local hospital at Sakhalin and was diagnosed with renal failure (a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood).
He had no time to lose as his kidney needed to be replaced as soon as possible. However, there was not a single hospital capable of conducting kidney transplant at Sakhalin, the region with the least developed medical technology in Russia. Even though some hospitals in big cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg were able to conduct kidney transplant operation, their waiting list for the operation was so long that Evgenii had no hope of having his turn at a proper time.
His parents, however, never gave up. Evgenii’s father, working at the Sakhalin Airport, thoroughly looked for every possible way to save his son’s life. He then learned about Korea’s outstanding medical technology and searched for a hospital with the help of a Korean colleague working at the Korean branch of his office.
Thanks to the Korean colleague, Evgenii arrived in Korea for the first time in his life on 7 December 2013 and went to Seoul National University Hospital Transplant Center.
The Medical Team at Seoul National University Hospital Transplant Center diagnosed Yevgenii with crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN), which required an immediate renal replacement therapy and, ultimately, a kidney transplant operation. However, the operation was delayed as Evgenii caught a cold and was not in a good physical condition. Frustrated with the unexpected delay in the operation, his father grew very nervous and at some point protested against the medial team, saying “Why can’t we get the operation as soon as possible?”
In the meantime, the Transplant Center and the Kidney Transplant Team did their best to provide the best medical treatment to Evgenii.
At last, Evgenii safely received a new kidney from his father on 19 October. Evgenii was also smoothly adjusting his new life in Korea with his mother, who wasted no time to fly to Korea to care for her son.
Evgenii’s father soon found peace in his mind after successfully donating his kidney to his son. While still feeling uncomfortable in his body right after the surgery, he went to his son to check how his son was recovering and also delivered a message of sincere appreciation to the medical team.
The father said, “My son and I were so lucky to receive such a high-quality treatment. I will tell my friends and neighbors in my country about the excellent medical technology we experienced at Seoul National University Hospital.”
Professor JaeSeok Yang and the medical team at Seoul National University Hospital Transplant Center said, “Evgenii was suffering from a kidney failure that came from disorder in immunity system, which made the transplant much more difficult. However, with close collaboration among different departments, all the procedures were successfully completed.”
Evgenii also happily said “I am so grateful to my father for giving me his kidney. Doctors also reassured me that the operation wound will be very minimal.” Having fully recovered, Yevgenii was discharged from the hospital on 1 November 2013.