Living-donor liver transplant in childhood: Experiences as recipients

Abstract

  The purpose of this study is to clarify the meaning of living-donor liver transplantation in childhood, and patients’ lives after transplantation for the better understandings of levels of support needed for children and their families who underwent the transplantation. Two subjects were interviewed using a narrative approach. The interviews revealed three common set of minds: “I keep reminding myself I am a transplant patient”; “I am alive because I was let to live”; and, “I feel the donor seems to be by my side unconditionally.” We came to the following conclusions: Patients who underwent living-donor liver transplant in childhood grow up facing many challenges in their later lives. Particularly during adolescence, they struggle because of being a “transplant patient”, which could restrain them from building self-concepts. To foster self-awareness and self-control as a “transplant patient”, it is necessary to support them before they enter adolescence with transition to adulthood in mind. Finally, the study indicates educating the public on “transplant patients” is also an important way to support them.