The rare and miraculous possibility of a second chance at life hangs in the balance for the thousands of South Africans who are currently on the waiting list for lifesaving transplants, as fewer than 0.2% of the public are registered organ donors.
“People with failing hearts, lungs and kidneys spend anxious years on the waiting list for the possibility of matching tissue donor organs becoming available,” says Sr Simangele Ndima, Netcare transplant coordinator.
“Ordinarily, most people don’t give much thought to registering as an organ donor. When you see how one person’s tragic passing can give new life to up to seven people and answer the prayers of so many families, it really opens your eyes to the great power we each have to do good – even after we leave this life,” she says.
Recently, Netcare Olivedale Hospital hosted an awareness day with the Organ Donor Foundation. Dale Steyn, a receptionist at the hospital, owes her life to a person who registered as an organ donor and passed away some 20 years ago.
| Kidney recipient Kenneth Naidoo and his wife Val are volunteers with the Organ Donor Foundation. They are pictured with Netcare transplant co-ordinator Sr Simangele Ndima, CTE-Tissue co-ordinator Sr Lia Jorge and Sr Pam Tsoagong. |
| Kidney recipient Kenneth Naidoo and lung recipient Dale Steyn are grateful for the lifesaving contribution of registered organ donors. |
“I had cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], which meant I only had 20% lung capacity. I was reliant on oxygen for six months and was on the waiting list for five months every day, struggling to breathe. Towards the end of 2003, a matching donor lung became available, and I was immediately booked for the transplant surgery that saved my life and returned me to 80% capacity in the right lung,” Steyn says.
“At the time, I had a teenage son, and I am extremely grateful every day to the person who cared enough during their life to register as an organ donor to allow me this second chance to see my son grow up, spend quality time with my husband and the people I love, and even return to work.
“Whenever I see the Organ Donor sticker on someone’s identity document, I feel a sense of connection because I know first-hand the significance of the priceless gift this signifies. Twenty years after my transplant, I have worked hard to take care of my health and I continue to go for regular check-ups – I am in better shape at 61 than I was at 40, thanks to my donor and their family.”
Mr Kenneth Naidoo is a volunteer with the Organ Donor Foundation who also has direct experience with the powerful impact of organ transplant, having received a kidney in 2005.
“Kidney disease unfortunately runs in my family: my father died of kidney failure, his youngest brother died in his 20s also from the condition, and I was reliant on dialysis for survival for five years while on the waiting list for a matching donor kidney.
“Thanks to the prayers of my church, a matching kidney became available. Our daughter was only seven years old at the time, and I am so grateful for another chance at life with her and my wife.
“The difference it made to my quality of life – not having to spend 15 hours a week going for dialysis and not having to be so restricted in terms of what I could eat and drink – was amazing. With kidney failure, at least there is dialysis to help keep you alive, but for people whose other vital organs are failing, transplant is their only hope of survival.
“When we retired, my wife and I decided to become volunteers with the Organ Donor Foundation to help raise awareness of the difference each one of us can make by registering as a donor and making these wishes known to our families, who will need to give the final permission. One tragedy can bring hope and restore a parent to their children if only we give it some thought during our time on earth,” Naidoo says.
Register as an organ donor to give ‘the gift of life’ to others
Each organ donor has the potential to save up to seven lives after their own death, as the heart, liver, pancreas, kidneys and lungs may help others in need of organ transplants. Remember that when you register as an organ donor, you can decide which organs or tissues you are willing to donate.
To register as an organ donor or for more information contact the Organ Donor Foundation on their toll free number, 0800 22 66 11, or visit https://www.odf.org.za.
Registering as an organ donor is free of charge, and the donor and their family do not incur any costs in the organ donation process. If you wish to donate your organs when you die, discuss your wishes with your family, as they will need to give the final permission – even if you are a registered organ donor.
The process of removing donor organs can only begin after two independent doctors have pronounced the donor brain dead. The removal of organs is done with the utmost care and respect, and the process does not affect the appearance of the body. Once the organs have been removed for transplantation, the donor’s body is returned to their family for burial or cremation.
Ends
Notes to editor
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Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare Olivedale Hospital
For media enquiries contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville,
Estene Lotriet-Vorster and Clementine Forsthofer
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
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