A young man has filmed his best friend’s reaction when he announces that he is donating a kidney. This organ is one of the few that can be donated during his lifetime.
Friendship, Graham MacMilan sees it more in life than in death. The RTL website reports that the 24-year-old filmed himself announcing to his best friend that he was going to donate his kidney. Danny Kolzow, a 23-year-old nurse, suffers from Alport syndrome, an inherited condition in which kidney function gradually declines. At the time, he was looking for a donor for a kidney transplant that he needed. Graham gets tested in secret and finds out he’s compatible. He then stages his announcement to his friend. On a sign it says “Heard urine need of a kidney, want mine? (“I heard you need a kidney, do you want mine?”). A play on words in which he replaces “you’re in” with “urine”, which are pronounced the same way in English.
Thanks to the complicity of a colleague, Graham surprises his friend at work, with his sign and yellow balloons. Understanding the scope of this announcement, the nurse burst into tears, the two friends hug, visibly moved. The transplant took place on July 27 and went well, according to the Facebook page of the Christian University of Texas where the two comrades met.
A carefully prepared transplant
Kidney transplants can be performed from deceased or living donors. In France, only 12% of kidney transplants involve a living donor. In 2013, 14,336 patients were waiting for a kidney transplant, but only 3,074 were able to benefit from it. To fill this gap, the bioethics law has broadened the conditions for being a donor. Since 2011, two people who can justify a “close and stable emotional bond” for at least two years can initiate a transplant process. Previously, only family or a stable spouse were allowed.
In order to ensure optimal security conditions for both donor and recipient, the emphasis is on information and reflection. The donor must give free and informed consent. Tests verify that it is compatible and does not risk endangering his health or that of the recipient (in the event of high blood pressure for example, or if there is a risk of disease transmission). Psychological support is provided to perfect the preparation for this event which is sure to change the lives of two people.
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