A liver failure patient who had been in critical condition after a botched liver transplant has now had a successful second operation.

46-year old Stephen Lee is in stable condition and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit on Wednesday morning after the 8-hour long operation at Queen Mary Hospital.

stephen lee liver transplant
The patient Lee and his wife.

Lee’s sister-in-law told Apple Daily on Wednesday morning that the effects of the anesthesia has faded and that Lee was slowly regaining consciousness. She also said that the doctor had arranged for his wife to rest in the ICU to accompany her husband. The operation was overall successful, Sing Tao Daily reported.

Lee was admitted to the hospital earlier this year for liver failure and cirrhosis. He was transferred from the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital to Queen Mary Hospital when his condition worsened.

In August, the couple was notified that there was a suitable liver. However, the transplant was interrupted midway when the organ donor was posthumously found to have cancer. The liver was deemed unfit for transplant and the medical team decided to abort the operation. Lee’s condition took a turn for the worse after an infection arose. 

After a two-week wait, a suitable liver was available and Lee underwent a second operation.

Karen is a journalist and writer covering politics and legal affairs in Hong Kong for HKFP. She has also written features on human rights, public space, regional legal developments, social and grassroots activism, and arts & culture. She is a BA and LLB graduate from the University of Hong Kong.