Page 42 - More than a match

BIMMI’S JOURNEY

MY DAUGHTER

was secretly quite pleased that I was more of a match than my
I sister, as I really wanted to help my uncle. As a child, I can
remember him constantly around giving my mum (who was then a

single parent) the support she needed to raise me and my siblings.
When she was ruled out as a donor, I needed no convincing;
seeing her courage and love for my uncle challenged me to step in
and offer to donate. I was not afraid of being a donor, but I was
anxious about the transplant, as there was still the possibility that
my uncle’s body might reject my kidney.
During my appointment with the consultant kidney specialist

my tests showed that my blood pressure was high and the doctor
told me that I would need to go on medication immediately to
lower it. Once it was lowered to the right level I could probably
go ahead and donate. My next appointment in the process was to
meet the transplant surgeon who would perform my operation,
and, although I was a suitable match, he confirmed my blood
pressure was too high and would need to come down before he
could operate. He also told me that if I was able to lose a stone
in weight it would help reduce my risk of a hernia after surgery.

Doing physical exercise would help me lose weight and lower my

32
32

More than a match book V9.indd 32 15/6/13 6:36:40 pm