Young woman’s organ donation saves six lives

İZMİR

A 28-year-old woman who passed away due to a brain surgery shortly after giving birth has saved the lives of six people through organ donation.

Özlem Serbes, who got married in the western province of İzmir two years ago, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the 35th week of her pregnancy. Urgently rushed into labor, the young woman gave the birth to a baby boy and immediately underwent brain surgery. However, brain death occurred one week after the difficult operation.

"The brain surgery had gone successfully, and the tumor was removed. The doctors were positive about it. In fact, multiple professors were in direct communication monitoring the progess of my wife's brain surgery. But due to the advanced stage and the pressure on the brain caused by the tumor, the brain edema couldn't be controlled, and my wife’s brain death occurred," said Tugay Serbes, the husband of the young woman.

"We had not discussed organ donation with my wife beforehand. Usually, people don't often think about these things when they are healthy. It came to my mind. The doctors informed me that we were reaching the final stages before brain death. So, I shared this idea with my family, and they reacted emotionally to it."

Serbes stated that she would make the same decision if his wife had been in his place, providing hope to many patients. He noted that his wife's donated organs brought hope to six patients, as they were matched with suitable recipients across different regions in Türkiye. The transplanted organs included the liver, kidney, heart, small intestine and corneas, he added.