This rare double organ transplant gives one woman a second chance at life in the capital
In a remarkable display of modern medicine and international cooperation, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has successfully performed a complex double organ transplant, giving a Kuwaiti mother of three a new lease on life.
Nashami’s journey began in June 2024 during a family holiday, when what seemed like simple travel fatigue turned out to be far more serious.
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Symptoms like swollen feet and yellowing eyes led to a diagnosis of advanced liver disease and kidney failure, caused by a rare autoimmune condition.
Faced with the urgent need for both a liver and kidney transplant, doctors in Kuwait and the UK referred her to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, known for its expertise in high-risk, multi-organ procedures.
Thanks to the UAE-Kuwait organ sharing agreement, Nashami was placed on a regional donor list that dramatically shortened her wait time.
The cross-border program, established in 2021, has already helped save more than 180 lives by streamlining donor organ access and surgical planning between the two countries.
When a suitable donor was found, a team of transplant specialists in Abu Dhabi jumped into action.
Her liver and kidney transplants were performed consecutively in a single surgery, an intensive procedure that requires precise timing and expert coordination.
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The hospital’s cutting-edge systems are designed to minimise the critical window between donor organ retrieval and transplant, a factor that greatly improves success rates.
Post-surgery, Nashami recovered under the care of a dedicated team that supports patients not just medically, but emotionally and logistically.
International patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi benefit from a holistic approach, with coordinators guiding them every step of the way, from arrival to recovery.
Now back home in Kuwait, Nashami is thriving. She continues her follow-ups with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and credits the hospital not only with saving her life but giving her a new sense of hope and energy.
For her, Abu Dhabi has become a second home.
This story highlights the growing role of the UAE, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in particular, as a global destination for complex care.
Since launching the country’s first multi-organ transplant program in 2017, the hospital has performed over 900 transplants and continues to lead the region in world-class patient outcomes.
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