Singer Tank Lu had a 12-hour liver and heart transplant

TAIWAN: In November 2024, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Tank Lu underwent a 12-hour heart and liver transplant as reported by The Straits Times.  On April 7, he was discharged from the hospital. The surgery was the reason that he has not been in the public eye. On Chinese social media platform Weibo, the 43-year-old held a press conference on the same day with his doctors to discuss his recovery as well as the ups and downs of his health.

In Lu’s view, he had undergone a profound renewal, like a second life. The 12-hour long surgery brought him back from the brink of death. Lu went through a painful recovery period, overcame difficulties after the surgery despite the odds, and walked out of the hospital after going through the most challenging stage.

Reduced workload due to illness

Lu made his debut in 2005 and is famous for songs like Personal Angel (2006) and If I Become A Memory (2009). In 2007, he reduced his workload due to hereditary heart disease. For nearly a decade, he was on hiatus from show business. To revive his career, the singer signed a contract with a new agency in May 2022 and moved to Hangzhou, China.

The singer filled the past two years with a flurry of activity: new music, a tour, and numerous variety show engagements. Lu said things were going well. However, in late March 2024, just like previously, his health became worse and it affected his daily life. He was then admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine for treatment.

Surgery will be complex

According to the doctors, only a simultaneous heart and liver transplant can help him recover fully  from his sickness. Lu recognised both the challenging nature of the surgery and the need for matching organs and shared that in order not to feel regrets, he spent six days, day and night, to write 10 songs for his new album. It was launched on July 30, 2024.

During that time, the singer held performances in Kuala Lumpur as well as Kaohsiung, and Taipei in Taiwan. He shared that after the tour ended, he felt that his illness worsened at an unexpected rate. His heart failed, followed by his liver. A series of health crises struck him: August brought fevers and infections, September saw him lose his ability to stand, and by November he could no longer eat.

Lu’s blood was clotting abnormally, and his heart and liver were functioning at dangerous levels. On Nov 21, a brain-dead patient provided a donation, and the hospital’s skilled teams began preparing for Lu’s transplant surgery.