A Maryland daughter has donated two organs to her mother, in what doctors are calling an extremely rare medical rarity.
“It was a very easy decision to make. As long as I knew I was a good fit, I did it,” her daughter Eileen Harlin told Fox News Digital about donating her organs to her mother, Julia, 71.
Both transplants (partial liver transplant in 2022 and kidney transplant in December) were performed at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMCC) in Baltimore.
Dr. Daniel Maluf, the UMCC transplant surgeon who operated on the mother and daughter, told Fox News it was a “unique event” for the patients to donate two organs.
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Eileen Harlin underwent two transplants on different dates, saving the life of her 71-year-old mother Julia. (Eileen Harlin)
“That's unusual,” he said. “Ultimately, I think as we get more confident, we'll see more things done in the future.”
“What I would like to emphasize is that [Eileen] She seemed completely selfless and cared so much about her mother, which is really something to celebrate and I think she's the real protagonist of this story. ”
A few years ago, Julia discovered that her liver was failing. She had a condition known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis, and her only chance of survival was a liver transplant.
This left Julia with only two options. The first was to wait for a deceased donor who matched her blood type. However, this process can often take a long time, considering there are thousands of people on the waiting list for the same type of transplant.
Dr. Maloof said kidney cases would take eight to 10 years. “For most patients, once they reach that age, their only option is to get a living donor, or find someone to donate their organs.Otherwise, patients would be on a long waiting list. You're going to have to undergo dialysis,'' he said.
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Julia Harlin has 12 grandchildren, some of whom are pictured here. (Eileen Harlin)
“I told my kids I didn't want them to even apply. I didn't want to worry about them and I didn't want any problems to arise. Oh, I don't want them to do anything for me. I felt like something was happening,” Julia said. she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Eileen, 39, applied to be a living donor along with her two siblings, but her mother was unaware that the process was underway.
“It was a surprise,” Julia said in an interview. “At that point, my condition got worse and worse and I was having to undergo many procedures, including once a week.”
Both transplants were performed at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (Eileen Harlin)
Julia said her stomach wasn't pumping properly, causing fluid to build up in her abdomen. Once or twice a week she had to have a needle inserted into her stomach and a machine drain all the fluid.
At the time, she was on the donor list, but “nothing seemed to be happening.” She was estimated to take five years.
“I don't think I would have succeeded even after waiting for five years,” Julia said.
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Julia (left) and Eileen (right) talk about organ donation and family ties in an interview with Fox News Digital.
After a few months, it was decided that Irene was indeed a good fit. She broke the news to her parents and her liver transplant was performed on August 16, 2022.
This transplant was very helpful to Julia until she started suffering from kidney failure. Irene was tested again and it was determined that she was a candidate for a kidney transplant.
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“We've always had a strong bond, and I think having my organs in it has strengthened our bond even more,” Irene said. “We were always close.”
“They're recovering. I think they're both doing very well. They're slowly but surely recovering. They're a little swollen, but they're making progress.”
