The story of the 23-year-old player who left football to save his mother’s life: “My mission was to cure her, everything else was less important”

bosnian footballer Robert Peric-Komsic he made an admirable gesture by donating 70 percent of his liver to his mother in order to save her life. The player of Cibalia, a lowly club from the Croatian second division, underwent a tough surgery. His decision led him to quit football, but five months later he dreams of returning to the playing field and works to achieve it. But before he lived a story that will mark him forever.

For 13 years her mother, Ljiljana, suffered from a disease that affected her liver. As reported by the Bosnian site Sports, she had three failed liver transplants from a deceased donor. The specialists recommended the alternative of a living donor to her family and the first one who tried to be one was her brother Vedran, whose liver was fatty and the procedure failed. Father Nedeljko is over 50 years old, which, along with fatty liver, is one of the two eliminating factors for donation. The risk was enormous and her mother was running out of time.

It was there that Robert did not hesitate a second longer and wanted to help her regardless of the consequences. Doctors warned her that, being a vital organ, she was very possible that his career as a footballer had the days numbered. It did not matter to him and the 23-year-old striker took the first flight he got in March and headed to Istanbul, Turkey, to undergo surgery at the Bahçelievler Memorial clinic.

“Her life was in danger, her stomach was filling with water and it was a matter of days… The moment I knew all other options were exhausted, I packed my things and flew to Istanbul. My mission was clear, to cure my mother. Everything else was less important or completely unimportant”, said the footballer.

“I ended up very tired and it took me months to recover, but everything went great,” Robert assured after the intervention, in the testimony recorded on the portal The Objective. Her mother continues to take medication, but the player affirms that “that is not a problem for her because she has been doing it for years”.

As long as he saved his mother, life gave him another opportunity to return to the playing fields. His liver has regenerated and five months later he dreams of returning to football. “All my findings are normal, the liver was almost completely regenerated two months after surgery,” Robert said.

Given his improvement and in correspondence with the gesture he had with his mother, beyond knowing for sure what his chances were going to be, on July 12 Cibalia announced the renewal of the contract with Peric-Komsic. “Robert extended his allegiance until the summer of 2️023, with the conditional possibility of extending it for one more year,” indicated the post on the Croatian club’s social networks.

Robert returned to training and his biological parameters are normal. He carried out a strict personalized training plan, but has already joined the group work. Coach, Tomislav Radotic, you want to dose it. He could get his first minutes of this season at the Kusevac tournament, which takes place this weekend. It will be a good measure for the league championship that will begin on Saturday, August 13, and that day Cibalia will face NK Kustosija at home.

“I am running from a story of heroism, I did what I think anyone who grew up in a functional family would do. My mother gave me life and I extended it to her”, Robert maintained. With everything he experienced, he expressed his motivations for what is to come: “I feel great, I am full of motivation, in a good mood like never before. What I’ve been through has made me stronger and I really feel like I’m ready for great feats.”

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