My family came to my rescue
Ifrah’s uncle, Ijaz, stepped in as a donor and in October 2003, aged 13, she had a successful transplant. Years of good health followed, but in early 2019, after a particularly stressful period in her life, Ifrah’s kidney function started to deteriorate, and she was told she’d need another transplant.
Ifrah says: “The minute I told my brothers what was happening, both said: ‘what can we do to help?’ There was no hesitation. It was really overwhelming, and I was extremely emotional. Tests revealed both were suitable donors, but as my younger brother Nabeel was only 21 at the time, we felt that, in terms of maturity, Adeel, who was 27, was the better option.”
Even so, Ifrah had reservations about him donating. She says: “It was an emotional rollercoaster, and I didn’t want him to put him through it. Adeel had spoken to Uncle Ijaz about his experiences of donating years earlier and said that’s what made it so easy – the fact he was still fit and healthy 20 years later.”
The transplant process was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but, fortunately, Adeel had undergone most of his tests pre-lockdown. In the meantime, Ifrah began peritoneal dialysis again, with the transplant finally taking place in September 2020. Post-surgery, both Ifrah and Adeel lived at their parents’ home while recovering.
Ifrah says: “Lockdown actually worked in our favour because we could properly recover with fewer distractions.”
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- Source: https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/2024/03/14/celebrating-my-kidneyversary-with-the-brother-who-saved-my-life/