Hope and Determination: A Family's Fight Against Liver Disease
In a poignant testament to familial love and medical innovation, Mr. Mohamed El Ketani, a 64-year-old man battling end-stage liver failure and liver cancer, underwent a groundbreaking 2-to-1 living donor liver transplant at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea. This remarkable procedure was made possible by his two sons, Omar (30), a cardiac surgeon residing in France, and his elder brother, who selflessly donated portions of their livers to save their father. After being excluded from the brain-dead donor transplant list in France due to the perceived risks of the procedure, the family turned their hopes towards Asan Medical Center, known for its expertise in living donor transplants.
Initially hesitant about traveling to Korea out of concern for his sons, Mohamed ultimately agreed after Omar assured him of the hospital's excellent track record, stating, “I checked, and this hospital has never had a donor die.” With this reassurance, the family embarked on their journey to Seoul in April, where they would find the medical care their father desperately needed.
Innovative Transplant Techniques and Successful Surgery
On May 30, 2026, Asan Medical Center proudly announced the successful completion of Mohamed's 2-to-1 living donor liver transplant, a procedure that involves utilizing liver portions from two donors when a single donor's liver is insufficient. This technique, first developed in 2000 by Professor Lee Seung-gyu, has become a hallmark of the hospital's liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery department, which performs approximately 400 living-donor liver transplants annually. In stark contrast, France’s largest transplant center conducts only about 10 such procedures each year, primarily focusing on brain-dead donor surgeries.
Mohamed's medical history revealed that he had contracted hepatitis C two decades prior, leading to significant liver damage and cirrhosis. A pre-transplant evaluation in late 2025 indicated the onset of early-stage liver cancer, with a subsequent scan revealing a concerning 6cm tumor. Faced with limited options and a rapidly progressing disease, the El Ketani family turned to Asan Medical Center, where the surgical team was well-equipped to handle incompatible blood types, having successfully completed over 1,100 such transplants.
The 17-hour surgery, conducted on May 17, 2026, involved a meticulous process where both sons’ liver segments were transplanted into their father. The operation required the expertise of over 10 medical professionals, with Professor Lee Seung-gyu at the helm. Following the successful transplant, Mohamed expressed his profound gratitude, stating, “With the cancer progressing rapidly, our family had lost hope, but after coming to Korea, we regained our health like a miracle. I deeply bless the medical team who gave us a new life.” Omar echoed these sentiments, praising the advanced medical technology and the compassionate, human-centered care provided by the hospital staff, expressing a desire to train at Asan Medical Center in the future.
As reported by chosun.com.
