Had Hepatitis B at 18, 20 Years Later She Clung to Life with Her Husband's Liver

İlona Özbay, 38 years old, living in Istanbul, was infected with the Hepatitis B virus exactly 20 years ago. A transplantation decision was taken for the young woman who developed chronic liver failure disease with the progression of the disease over time. Her husband of 12 years, Burak Özbay, became a donor for the young woman. A piece of liver taken from Burak Özbay was transplanted into his wife İlona Özbay. Özbay, who regained her health after years, said, "I was very scared, but my husband said, 'calm down, I am here'. He saved my life, I am very happy," she said.

Born in Moldova, Ilona Ozbay was diagnosed with the Hepatitis B virus exactly 20 years ago. The young woman, who took part in the school's basketball team and was actively involved in sports, quit sports as her complaints increased. Özbay, who received medication in her hometown for a long time, married Burak Özbay in Turkey 12 years ago. The young woman, the mother of two children, started to be interested in kickboxing again over the years. When the complaints of weakness and yellowing started again, İlona Özbay went to the hospital. The examinations revealed that the young woman developed chronic liver failure (cirrhosis). Her husband Burak Özbay decided to be the donor for his wife without wasting any time. The liver taken from the young man was transplanted to İlona Özbay by Yeditepe University Kosuyolu Hospital General Surgery Specialist and his team, and the young woman regained her health after years.

"I was Very Scared, But My Husband Said 'Calm Down, I'm Here"

İlona Özbay, who explained that she had complaints of forgetfulness, shortness of breath, and difficulty in walking, stated: "I was 18 years old when I got the disease, and within 6 months my skin started to turn yellow, my eyes turned yellow, and my itching started. I did not understand what was happening. I was on the basketball team of the college in those years. Since I was interested in sports, I did not pay attention to the complaints. My coach directed me to a doctor by saying 'you have lost your old strength'. After a blood test at the hospital, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis B. The disease was taken under control with treatments. A few years ago, I started kickboxing. Since this was a hard sport, my complaints started to increase. Then it was realized that the hepatitis B virus causes cirrhosis. Doctors said 'You should quit sports' and I had to quit. The biggest problem I had was forgetfulness, shortness of breath, and difficulty walking. I was stressed before the operation. I thought about where I would find a donor. I was very scared, but my husband said, 'Calm down, I am there, our blood groups are compatible, I will give you, my liver. I got very happy,"

“For My Beloved Wife”

For 12 years, Burak Özbay, who explained that he was very happy that his wife, with whom he had been together for 12 years, regained her health, said, "This point was not a surprise for us. Because we went through this difficult process together with my wife for 10 years. Therefore, we knew what point we would come to. We knew what was necessary for this. I also knew that I was suitable as a donor. As the situation proceeded, we were ready for it. We were sad when we first heard about it, but we were happy that we had the opportunity for transplantation. I never thought about organ donation. When you are in such a situation, you feel obliged to do this for the person you have been together with for 12 years and you feel proud of it. I am very proud of this. Most importantly, it makes me happy that my wife has regained her health and is well."

"She Needed a Transplant to Continue Her Life"

Stating that the most important symptom of liver failure is abdominal swelling, bruising in the body, sometimes blood coming from the mouth, weakness, and fatigue, Yeditepe University Kosuyolu Hospital General Surgery, Gastroenterology Surgery Specialist "Our patient was diagnosed with hepatitis B, chronic liver failure, also known as cirrhosis. Then staging of cirrhosis was done. After staging, when there was an advanced stage of cirrhosis, we decided on liver transplantation to continue her life. The patient was planned to be transplanted from a living donor and the liver was taken from her husband. Liver transplantation can be performed on both cadavers and living individuals. We need to underline the sensitivity of cadaver donation. The more cadaver donations in society, the less the need for living donor liver will be. Unfortunately, since cadaver donation is not at the desired level in our country, our patient underwent live donor liver transplantation. The liver was taken from her husband and transplantation was performed."

"Hepatitis B Vaccine Protects from Chronic Liver Failure"

Stating that the hepatitis B vaccine is the most important protective factor against the disease, our expert stated, "The most current issue today is coronavirus vaccines. But vaccination against hepatitis B has been known since long ago. The Hepatitis B vaccine protects our patients from chronic liver failure, i.e., cirrhosis, and protects their relatives. When the hepatitis B vaccine is administered, both the donor and the patient can be protected from surgery. If we cannot protect the patient, the disease progresses and turns into cirrhosis in 15-20 years. When left untreated, liver cancer develops afterward. The most important cause of chronic liver failure (cirrhosis) in our country is hepatitis B and its prevention is possible with vaccination."

"Check If You Have Antibodies Against Hepatitis B"

Explaining that children in our country are vaccinated against hepatitis B in schools, our specialist reminded us that it is possible to detect this with a blood test. Our expert stated that "The start of the vaccination program is a newer process, that is, a process of 15-20 years. A 30-year-old person may not have received the hepatitis B vaccine. If this person encounters the hepatitis B virus, that disease can turn into cirrhosis. With a very simple blood test, you can have your antibody against hepatitis B tested at any health center. If you do not have antibodies, vaccination will be the right thing to do to protect you from cirrhosis. If you have been vaccinated before and your antibody has dropped, you will need to be vaccinated again."

Drawing attention to the hepatitis B map of our country, our specialist stated, "It is a little different geographically; it is a little more in the east and southeast and reaches 10 percent. In general, it is around 5 percent and 7 percent in some regions. However, when we look at the result, half of the patients who need liver transplantation need transplantation due to hepatitis B. If we protect these people with vaccination, the number of transplants will be halved."