The family operation was performed by a world-renowned surgeon together with a team of doctors from the Transplantology Center of the First Medical Association of Lviv. This is Robert Montgomery’s second visit to the Lviv medical facility.
Ihor Zhukrovsky, a 61-year-old resident of Lviv, has been suffering from kidney failure since 2015. The serious illness was caused by a complication after the flu. Since then, he regularly visited doctors and underwent inpatient treatment. And the last three years have also included a hemodialysis procedure. His own brother, 62-year-old Petro Zhukrovsky, came to the rescue. He himself decided to become a donor. As a result, after a two-hour transplant, the patient’s new kidney started working.
Today, the third day after the operation, Mr. Igor feels well and is happy that he will now be able to live without dialysis. His brother, who shared the organ, is also doing well. And just now the men are sitting at the same table in their ward, rejoicing at the success of the operation and dreaming of a quick return home.
Robert Montgomery himself is satisfied with the transplant result.
“Everything went well, the kidney started working immediately after blood flow was restored. Surgery and medicine here are excellent, the surgeons are technically very skilled. You know, I’m here more to offer support and let Ukrainian doctors know that we, in the United States, are with them in this difficult time for Ukraine,” says Robert Montgomery. And he adds that he is very happy to return here. Especially since he did not come empty-handed. And he brought from the USA a significant amount of necessary surgical instruments for the use of new techniques by Lviv doctors.
“Robert Montgomery shows us the equipment used in the USA, shares his experience with us, teaches us new technologies. That is why we are grateful to him, and in general, it is very significant for the entire team of the Transplantology Center to work at the same table with a world-class specialist. We thank him very much for everything,” says Oleg Samchuk, general director of the First Medical Association of Lviv.
It should be noted that the doctors of the St. Panteleimon Hospital Transplantology Center have already performed 110 kidney transplants. This year alone, there have already been 50 such operations. Of them, 34 are related and 16 are posthumous.