Kidney transplant: ‘Why I donated my organ to a stranger’

BBC News Brazil

In 2019, Azeem Ahmad, who is 35 years old and lives in the city of Newcastle, UK, donated a kidney to someone he didn’t know.

Ahmad says that, for him, becoming a donor was an easy choice, but thought out with great care. He doesn’t know who got his kidney — but he knows he helped improve that person’s life. It is worth noting that a healthy person can lead a normal life with only one functioning kidney.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, kidney transplants and altruistic donations have dropped considerably, some national and international records reveal.

England’s public transplant system is even asking people to think about whether they are willing to become a donor. They also recommend sharing this decision with family and friends.

In Brazil, according to the Brazilian Transplant Registry, a total of 26,230 Brazilians were on the waiting list to receive a new kidney in June 2021. Of these, 305 are children.

The pandemic has led to a significant reduction in the number of transplants of this type that have been performed. In 2019, 6,295 kidney transplants took place in Brazil. In 2020, the first year of the health crisis, this rate dropped to 4,805 such procedures. Such a low number has not been seen since 2010.

Most organs that are transplanted come from a deceased donor, but there is also the possibility that people donate a kidney while they are still alive. Britain’s Alisha Gokani, 23, has been waiting for a kidney transplant for years.

A rare condition caused her organs to fail before she entered adolescence. When Gokani was 19, her mother donated one of her kidneys — but her body rejected the transplant.

Since then, she has depended on dialysis to survive. This procedure, done a few times a week, requires the patient to connect to a machine, which will do the main job of the kidneys: filter the blood and eliminate impurities.

As Gokani is in college, this dialysis routine has become increasingly difficult.

“COMPLETE EXHAUSTION”

“I had to completely reorganize my life, and even take some time away from the university. Fortunately, I was able to return”, he says. “Every day is a struggle as I face complete exhaustion from having a procedure four times a week while also taking a full-time course.”

“I was told that a live donor of the same ethnicity as mine would be the best possible match,” continues the young woman. “Since I’ve had a transplant before, my immune system has created a lot of antibodies, which offers extra challenges, so I can’t wait too long.”

“If a living donor comes forward, my antibodies can be removed to undergo a treatment, where they will be combined with the donor’s antibodies, just before the surgery takes place. Everything can be planned, so we get the best possible result.”

“Giving in life is a big request for anyone and involves deep thought. But I’m kindly asking everyone to read more about organ donation, talk to their families and share the decision they’ve made.”

“HELP SOMEONE”

Azeem Ahmad was motivated to act after reading a tweet from former Wales goalkeeper Neville Southall. In the post, the footballer made a request on behalf of the family of a young woman who needed a kidney transplant.

“I thought I should check if I could be a match, so I contacted the local hospital,” Ahmad told BBC News. Subsequently, the doctors gave a lot of information about how the procedure would be.

“The more I knew, the more convinced I was that it was the right thing to do,” says Ahmad. “Helping someone and potentially saving a life in exchange for a few days of discomfort seemed like something that would absolutely be worth it.”

“I was already a blood and stem cell donor, so I felt this was the right thing to do. I wanted to help.”

Even when tests revealed he would not be a match for the young woman, Ahmad decided to proceed with the donation if another compatible patient was found. And that is exactly what happened some time later. Ahmad remembers the day of the operation in detail.

“I knew I could still change my mind at the time, but I’m so glad I made the donation. I don’t think this is for everyone. But for me, it was definitely the right thing to do. My family and friends supported my decision when they understood all the reasons”.

IN RECOVERY

Ahmad took a few weeks to recover from the surgical procedure, but his health is now restored. Doctors regularly check his kidney function, which is “very good.”

“I called the kidney that was left Kevin, because they left him alone at home,” jokes Ahmad, in reference to Macaulay Culkin’s character in the 1990 Home Alone comedy film.

“It’s him [o rim] is doing very well and has even grown in size and expanded its function”, he describes.

“VERY DIFFICULT”

Ahmad says he received a card and a message from the person who received his kidney, which he says was extremely emotional. “That meant a lot to me,” he says. “Most people are prepared to give little for the benefit of others.” “And the pandemic has shown us how necessary this is.”