Even though it’s only the first episode, Doctor Cha already had a lot of drama and excitement involved. The K-drama introduces its viewers to the main cast and their roles in the series. It’s also the first time we meet Cha Jeong Suk (Uhm Jung Hwa), a 40-something housewife with a medical degree. Instead of pursuing her passion in medicine, Jeong Suk decided to become a full-time housewife to take care of her husband, two kids, and mother-in-law.
But as we learn in the first season of the show, Jeong Suk suddenly falls ill. She meets Doctor Roy Kim (Min Woo Hyuk) who tells her that she needs to have a liver transplant as soon as possible.
Jeong Suk gets admitted to the hospital and is told she’ll only be there for a few days until her condition improves. But as time passes, it becomes apparent that she’ll need to have surgery to save her life. This starts the hunt for a liver donor.
At first, Jeong Suk’s son Seo Jeong Min (Song Ji Ho) gets tested for compatibility. Unfortunately, Dr. Roy says that he is not a match for her. Meanwhile, Jeong Suk’s other child, Seo Yi Rang (Lee Seo Yeon), is still in high school so she cannot help out. Jeong Suk’s own mother (Kim Mi Kyung) and mother-in-law (Park Jun Geum) are too old to donate their livers too. The only option left is her estranged husband, Chief Surgeon Seo In Ho (Kim Byung Chul).
Sadly, both In Ho and his mother, Kwak Ae Sim, are against the idea of him donating part of his liver to his wife. This disappoints Jeong Suk since she expected her husband to be the one to help her out.
As they try to look for a donor, Jeong Suk’s condition worsens. It becomes apparent to In Ho that he is the only one left who can save Jeong Suk. This convinces him to donate his liver and Jeong Suk feels nothing but gratitude for this decision.
But just before signing the consent form, In Ho’s mom and mistress, Choi Seung Hi (Myung Se Bin), stop him. This breaks Jeong Suk’s heart, who was able to witness Ae Sim tearing the consent form to pieces.
Thankfully, Dr. Roy gets informed that they found a liver donor for Jeong Suk and she gets the help she needs.
Who Donated the Liver to Jeong Suk?
So who was Doctor Cha liver donor? In the end, the identity of the donor was never revealed.
In Doctor Cha Episode 2, we see one of the doctors telling Dr. Roy that “A TA patient was just declared brain-dead in the intensive care unit.” He was then ordered to check compatibility for Jeong Suk’s MELD score.
Right now, we don’t know whether the identity of Doctor Cha liver donor will ever be revealed in the show or if the character has some importance to add to the plot. Either way, the main character was able to survive and has decided to pursue her interest as a way of living her second life.
What Happens to Liver Donor?
If the liver donor was not brain-dead in Doctor Cha or if In Ho pushed through in donating his liver to his wife, he will proceed to live a normal life.
This is because a living donor’s liver can fully regrow on its own within 4 months and return to its pre-donation level of health. This is the same for the recipient. The new liver will grow to its full size and both parties will have healthy, functioning livers.
But since the liver donor in the show was already brain-dead, it’s possible that his liver was split into two and transplanted into a couple of patients.
You can continue to watch episodes of Doctor Cha on Netflix.
