NATIONAL NEWS - World Kidney Day is celebrated around the globe on 10 March, focussing on kidney health for all. In keeping with this year’s theme, Transplant Education for Living Legacies (TELL) wishes to put the spotlight on living kidney donation.
For someone who has End-Stage-Renal Failure (Chronic Kidney Failure) there are two treatment options available: dialysis or a transplant from a deceased or living donor. Due to Covid and a general shortage of organ donors, the rate of living donors has increased.
Some transplant centres won’t list a newly diagnosed patient to the waiting list and their only hope for a transplant is a living donor. There are three types of living donors, living-related (blood -related), living unrelated (a family member or friend) and an altruistic donor.
Any person that wishes to be a living donor needs to be in perfect health and goes through extensive medical evaluation both physical and mental. This is to ensure that both the potential living donor and the recipient gets the best chance of a successful outcome.
To be listed for a transplant, the recipient goes through a variety of tests and is assessed on an ongoing basis by their specialist. Only once the recipient has been cleared to be listed for a transplant, will the assessment of the living donor start.
The work-up process for the donor is done in phases and can be stopped at any time if the donor changes his or her mind or if it comes to light that the donor has a medical condition that will prevent a transplant.
Once all the tests are completed, the case will be presented at the transplant panel and once they approve the case will be referred to the Department of Health advisory committee for approval for a non-related living donation or altruistic donation.
South Africa is a signatory to the Declaration of Istanbul which prohibits organ trafficking and transplant tourism.
The Zane Project
TELL’s mascot, Zane the Zunicorn raises awareness about organ and tissue donation and teaches kids and adults alike how important it is to SHARE THEIR SPARE. Luckily for Zane, Zebra was able to share his spare and enabled Zane to live his life to the fullest with his Zebra leg.
Zane was sponsored by Mascots SA - www.mascots.co.za and he tells everyone how being born different is ok. We found that by using Zane’s story, children understand organ and tissue donation and don’t find the concept frightening. Travis Kruger was gracious enough to agree to be our ‘Zane’.
Travis is married to Fawn, one of the co-founders and Marketing Director of TELL.
Individuals and corporates shared their spare change and enabled TELL to raise funds for our Zane Project. Zane is an education toy made by the Rare Bear Project, part of Rare Diseases SA.
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