“A person who is able to pledge for organ donation should consider himself lucky. The biggest donation that one can give in his entire lifetime and post that is organ donation. If I was in position to donate my organs, I would’ve definitely done it,” says 45-year old Gurpreet Kaur who underwent a kidney transplant this year in January. The person who donated the kidney to Gurpreet was her younger sister Ripudaman Kaur.
It all started in 2007, when Gurpreet, a resident of Mumbai, was diagnosed with a kidney disease. Then 35-years old, Gurpreet didn’t want to undergo dialyses or a transplant. For nearly 10 years, she continued to lead a normal and healthy life. ‘Medicines, controlled diet and a positive spirit towards life’ were the three things that kept her going for a decade without many complications. But in the beginning of 2016, the pain and strain on her kidney multiplied, her doctor strongly advised her to consider a transplant.
Gurpreet was given two options – either find a donor within the family, or enrol on the Cadaver Kidney Transplant Recipient list within the hospital. Gurpreet’s sister, who is two years younger to her, volunteered to donate the kidney. “My sister readily agreed to give her kidney and asked me to not wait for an outside donation,” says Gurpreet.
The next step was to conduct a series of cross-match tests and fortunately the blood group compatibility matched. The time period between these multiple tests and undergoing a transplant was physically and morally draining for the entire family.
“The distance between my house and hospital was almost 23 kilometres, so travelling part was difficult. Also, our kids were merely 10-12-year old and running around with them was a task. In addition my pain was increasing by the day.
For almost a month, the tests were conducted and in the final test, unfortunately due to some complications donor’s and recipient’s kidneys didn’t match. “It was a very hard time for our entire family. There came a time when I refused to undergo the transplant at all. I constantly blamed myself as, I, being an elder sister should give instead of taking something this huge from my younger sibling,” adds Gurpreet.
The doctors and the family counselled a devastated Gurpreet and finally they decided to explore more options. “Hope was our only chance and I guess it did work in our favour when a doctor from Delhi told us that my sister was a perfect match for me in December 2016.”
Without wasting much time, the donor-recipient sisters flew to the capital Delhi and underwent the final series of tests. And this time the results were positive. On January 30, 2017 the duo were admitted and next day the transplant was carried out.
Gurpreet Kaur (left) with her sister Ripudaman Kaur (right) post the kidney transplant
Also Read: FAQ’s For Those On The Waiting List For Transplants And Looking For Organ Donors
Post the transplant, during the recovery stage, there were several complications that emerged. To begin with Gurpreet developed ‘Sleepy Kidney’, a condition where the functioning of kidney takes a backseat and becomes slow. For the next two months, Gurpreet was put on dialysis. Besides, medical complications like pain, diaorrhea, chest congestion and high blood pressures were also a part of the recovery period. But, with immense support from her family and medicines she overcome these complications.
Today, 10 months post the transplant, Gurpreet and her sister are leading a healthy life. Ofcourse the sisters have to take certain precautions.
Consuming home-made food, no oil, drinking lots of water and doing everything that one needs to do inorder to develop a strong immune system are some of the things that both of us constantly remind each other of. But these are things everyone must follow inorder to lead a healthy life, says Gurpreet.
Gurpreet, whose life was saved by her own sister, believes that whoever is in a position to donate organ or tissue must pledge it. She believes that there should be no room for fear and hesitation when it is about saving someone’s life.
Everyone should pledge and donate organs, it’s the most noble deed ever, signs off Gurpreet.
Also Read: At The Brink Of Death, 76-Year-Old Nurse Flown In From Dubai To Donate Her Organs
