Armenia recently celebrated its seventh successful liver transplant, saving the life of 41-year-old Anahit Mazlumyan. Diagnosed with an incurable liver disease a year ago, Mazlumyan’s only option was a liver transplant. Fortunately, her son Paulo was found to be a compatible donor. However, Paulo had to lose weight in order to become a donor, following a strict diet prescribed by his doctors. The complex nine-hour operation took place on December 2, with surgeons transplanting 65% of Paulo’s liver to his mother. The Mazlumyan family required seventeen million drams ($42,000) for the procedure, with the Armenian government contributing five million drams and the remainder collected by the Aleppo charitable NGO. The Astghik Medical Center in Yerevan, where the operation took place, is proud to report that all seven liver transplants performed at the hospital have been successful so far. Head of the hospital’s surgery department, Arayik Voskanyan, emphasizes the importance of having a relative as the donor, as organ rejection rates are much lower in such cases. Both Paulo and his mother are recovering well, with Mrs. Mazlumyan expressing her gratitude for her restored health, despite needing more nutritious food to regain her strength.
