Mr Lau, a father of three children, said he hopes to return to his ministry as soon as he is capable as he believed it was what 'God had meant for me to do'. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
A HEART-LIVER transplant - the first in Singapore and Asia - has bought retired pastor Lau Chin Kwee another 10 years of life.
The 57-year-old was diagnosed in 2006 with Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy (FAP), a rare genetic disorder that caused his nerves, heart and liver to deteriorate.
Associate Professor Tan Chee Kiat, director of the liver transplant service at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) said: 'As the liver is the source of the mutant protein, liver transplantation was introduced in 1990 as a potentially curative treatment.'
According to the FAP World Transplant Registry, till June last year (2008), there were 17 heart-liver transplants in the world.
An almost three-year wait and comtemplation resulted in Mr Lau undergoing a combined heart-liver transplantation on April 7 when a suitable deceased donor was found.
The 12-hour-20-minute long operation proceeded with the heart transplant followed by the liver transplant.
It involved two surgical teams comprising 50 members, including 10 surgeons.
The heart transplant was completed within three and a half hours and the liver team took another five to transplant the organ.
The rest of the time were used in preparing the donor organs and ensuring Mr Lau was safe.
Mr Lau, a father of three children, said he hopes to return to his ministry as soon as he is capable as he believed it was what 'God had meant for me to do'.
