Page 51 - More than a match

A Recipient’s Perspective of a Kidney Transplant

Although I generally felt lousy most of the time, several things made
it bearable: the support from my family, my partner and my job. I

found it better to stay busy and not dwell on my condition.
Originally I was meant to get a kidney from my sister, but it
turned out my father was a better match. The staff at the hospital
were great and I really don’t remember having any apprehensions
prior to the surgery. If anything, I was excited about a new dialysis-
free life. It was also very reassuring to have your father giving you
a kidney. It is hard to describe the feeling of having my father give
a part of himself to me. It certainly is the most wonderful gift I can
ever imagine!

I remember being taken into the operating room and meeting the
anaesthetist. I was given a general anaesthetic and was then out for
the count. My next recollection was waking up totally disoriented
and heavily sedated. Although I was in a lot of pain, I remember
the smiling faces of my family. I recovered quite quickly and I
was up walking around the next day. Although I was supposed to
be discharged after a week, my body tried to reject the kidney (a

common occurrence) and I spent an extra week in the hospital. I
was given a higher dose of steroids to knock down my immune
system. I recovered very well at home with my family looking after
me. I was able to go back to work part time about a month after my
transplant, and full time after two months.
Since then, I have been quite healthy and feel great. I have had
no further rejection incidents and my kidney function has been
stable. I live a completely normal life, and in September 2011,
my daughter was born, so it is possible to conceive a baby after

a transplant. The immunosuppressant drugs do have a slight side

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