An 11-month-old girl from Montenegro is celebrating a new beginning after receiving a life-saving liver transplant at Acibadem Hospital. Diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer that resulted in liver failure, Adriana’s remarkable recovery highlights how advanced multidisciplinary care and expertise in organ transplantation can provide hope for children facing life-threatening conditions.
Adriana was born healthy, and for the first few months of her life everything appeared normal. However, when she was around five months old, her parents noticed sudden changes in her behavior. She became restless, cried frequently, refused to eat, and struggled to sleep. Concerned about her worsening condition, the family visited multiple doctors and underwent a series of medical examinations in Montenegro before an ultrasound revealed a serious problem affecting her liver.
“When she was about five months old, we started going from one doctor to another and doing various tests,” Adriana’s mother explained. “During an ultrasound, they discovered that the problem was in her liver. Since we couldn’t receive proper treatment in Montenegro and doctors advised us to come to Türkiye, we accepted immediately, without hesitation. The only important thing was to save my daughter’s life.”
A Team of Specialists Reviewed Adriana’s Case
After Adriana’s medical records were sent to Türkiye, physicians at Acibadem conducted a comprehensive review through a multidisciplinary medical council. Experts in pediatric oncology, transplant surgery, radiology, pediatric gastroenterology, and other specialties carefully evaluated her condition before determining that liver transplantation represented the only viable treatment option.
Although chemotherapy combined with partial liver removal can often treat hepatoblastoma successfully, Adriana’s case was far more complex. The tumor had completely occupied the right lobe of her liver and involved major blood vessels, making conventional surgery impossible. Replacing the entire liver became the only realistic opportunity to save her life.
Fortunately, compatibility testing showed that Adriana’s father could serve as a living donor. Without hesitation, he volunteered to donate part of his liver so his daughter could undergo the transplant.
Preparing for Surgery
Before transplantation, Adriana underwent chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumor while specialists prepared every aspect of the complex procedure. Once doctors determined she was ready, an experienced surgical team led by Professor Hamdi Karakayalı, Head of the Organ Transplantation Unit at Acibadem Atakent Hospital, successfully performed the transplant using a portion of her father’s liver.
“It was a huge tumor, and it completely filled the inside of the liver,” Prof. Karakayalı said after the operation. “Because of this, apart from abdominal pain, the pressure caused by the tumor can lead to many symptoms that may become life-threatening. Since we removed the tumor together with the liver and replaced it with a new healthy liver, Adriana is now continuing her life like a healthy baby. We hope she will continue that way.”
Overcoming the Challenges of Pediatric Liver Transplantation
Liver transplantation in infants requires exceptional surgical precision. A liver segment taken from an adult donor is naturally too large for a baby’s body and must be carefully reduced while preserving its blood vessels, bile ducts, and full functional capacity.
Drawing upon extensive experience in pediatric transplantation, the Acibadem team successfully addressed these challenges. According to the transplant specialists, their success rate in similar pediatric liver transplant cases exceeds 90 percent, with more than 200 infant liver transplant procedures completed to date and excellent long-term outcomes.
This level of expertise has helped position the hospital among Türkiye’s leading destinations for patients seeking advanced care through its dedicated international patient services, which support families throughout diagnosis, treatment planning, travel coordination, and follow-up care.
Looking Forward to Everyday Moments
After months of uncertainty, Adriana and her parents are preparing to return home healthy and optimistic about the future.
“First of all, we are deeply grateful to the Turkish doctors and the medical staff,” Adriana’s mother said. “We are satisfied with our overall experience, and everything is exactly as it should be. I must admit, I have never seen worry on our doctors’ faces. Adriana’s condition was truly critical, but thanks to them, she is here with us today, smiling.”
She added that the family’s greatest joy now lies in life’s simplest moments.
“We are most looking forward to walking in the park, playing together, and having breakfast at home as the three of us without big worries or problems. Those simple moments mean the most. Today, what I feel above all is immense happiness because I know she has a long and healthy life ahead of her.”
Adriana’s journey demonstrates how early diagnosis, multidisciplinary collaboration, and expertise in complex pediatric liver transplantation can transform even the most challenging medical cases into stories of hope. For families seeking specialized treatment beyond their home countries, her experience reflects the impact that advanced medical care and coordinated international patient support can have on achieving positive outcomes.