Page 12 - More than a match

More Than a Match

with having such a major operation. The risks and fears of being a donor
are real and many will find it difficult to see beyond that; they will often

say, “But what if...?” But if we allow ourselves to focus on the “what
if,” some of us would not be married, have started a business, or even
followed our dreams today. When we see the people we love struggling
with a life-threatening illness, the truth is we can turn our “what if
something goes wrong?” into “I want to help change their life.” The
third reason was to raise the profile of organ donation within the Black
and Asian communities as there is a desperate need for more Black and
Asian donors to come forward. The final reason for writing the book
was to show people the real value of saving a human life. The majority

of us are born with two kidneys, and we can live healthily with one,
which allows us to be living donors. Some of us have loved ones for
whom life is a daily struggle of hospital appointments and dialysis. To
be willing to help them takes tremendous courage, and hopefully my
story will testify what can happen when we take a different approach
to living organ donation.
The book narrates my family’s story as potential kidney donors. It’s

a factual account of a personal journey that began when I offered to
donate a kidney to my brother who needed a life-saving transplant,
but ended with my brother’s need for a kidney practically saving my
daughter’s life. Our emotional journey captures the love of a family in
a personal and heartfelt way. It takes you through our tests, trials and
tears, but also portrays our joy at being potential donors.
Living kidney donation is our loved one’s fast track to a transplant;
it is very successful in the UK, representing 38% of the total number
of kidney transplants. The book details the procedure to remove a

kidney (otherwise known as laparoscopic donor nephrectomy), the

2

More than a match book V9.indd 2 15/6/13 6:36:23 pm