The number of South Africans in need of a kidney transplant remains high, yet the number of people willing to donate shows that the demand far exceeds the supply.

‘€œLast year (2008) 236 patients received a kidney transplant out of 1 234 on the waiting list. This year 10 people were harvested from and out of those, 20 people were transplanted’€, said Trial Mlambo, co-ordinator of the Transplant Unit at the Organ Donor Foundation.

Mlambo went on to explain how kidneys taken from 10 people can be transplanted into 20 others.

‘€œTwo kidneys from one person can help save two lives, as one is given to the other and one to the other. A person can survive with just one kidney’€, said Mlambo.

‘€œThe majority of people who have kidney disease and who need a transplant, are Africans’€, said Sister Pooe from Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. ‘€œYet there is difficulty in convincing African people to donate kidneys or any other organs’€, she lamented.

She said she has seen families refuse to donate for their own, even their children.

‘€œThey’€™ll come here in my office – husband and wife fighting: ‘€˜No, you must donate’€™.     And then the other will say: ‘€˜You must donate’€™. And it’€™s embarrassing because I think, as a parent, you can do anything for your child. But that’€™s not how it is. It makes me feel angry and sometimes I chuck them out’€, said Pooe.

The Organ Donation Foundation’€™s Trial Mlambo added that ‘€œcultural beliefs are a big reason why African people are reluctant to give organs’€.

‘€œWe, as African people, believe that one should be buried with all the organs still intact in order to become an ancestor. But in truth what is important is your spirit’€, said Mlambo.

 Kidney disease can be caused by a number of things.

‘€œKidney failure is when your kidneys are not functioning, depending on what causes that. (For) some it’€™s hereditary. And then others are born with one kidney. But until such time that you can realise that they have a problem, they can live normally like any other person. Others are born without kidneys. Others, mostly it’€™s hypertension. We have a lot of people who are not working, that causes hypertension because of stress’€, said Pooe.

‘€œWith kidney failure, the number one sign is that a person will be hypertensive.   The person might be vomiting, being nauseous. The other sign is the swelling, either of the lower extremities or the whole body… and the puffy face. Those are the simple signs that you can see, and if it’€™s worse, the urea will stay on top of the skin. There’€™ll be white discolouration on the outer part of the skin that will also show that the person is now on the worst side of the kidney failure’€, she added.

You can become an organ donor and save lives. To find out more on how you can donate, visit the Organ Donor Foundation website on www.odf.org.za or call the toll free number on 0800 22 66 11.