Cape Town – A good friend has sacrificed one of his own kidneys to help a colleague who suffers from a hereditary kidney disease.
Alan Henry, 42, from Retreat, suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease.
The condition is hereditary and causes fluid-filled cysts to form in the kidney; the disease may impair kidney function and eventually causes kidney failure.
Alan had a kidney transplant before but it gave in after seven years.
He had to go for dialysis treatment for the past three to fours years, three times a week, with sessions being up to four hours long.
His colleague at United Pharmaceutical Distributors, Stuart Jacobs, 42, from Athlone, said he couldn’t watch his friend suffer and decided to donate his kidney.
“I have been working at the company for just under 20 years and Alan and I worked in different departments,” he said.
“It was just over five years ago when our paths crossed and our friendship started. I saw him on a regular basis and seeing how badly he had been affected by the dialysis was not nice.
“I couldn’t not do something. I had told Alan, during a conversation that should he need a kidney, I would gladly give mine and I’m sure he was quite sceptical as I had just brought it up out of the blue.
“When the opportunity came, I jumped at the chance to help him.”
The pair underwent a kidney transplant on Tuesday at the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital.
The operation lasted two hours for Stuart and just over six hours for Alan.
Alan, who remains in isolation, is, according to his wife, Charmel Henry, 33, doing well.
Charmel said Stuart is an amazing person and does not realise what he has given her family.
“Alan has been struggling with the disease since he was 13 years old. He had a transplant 11 years ago but it only lasted for seven years as he contracted an infection,” said the grateful wife.
“Alan and Stuart became friends as they both share a passion for comic books. Stuart doing this is amazing. This is not something that is heard of. This is the most amazing gift.
“We have waited a year for the procedure as all relevant testing and approvals had to be done. They were a match and with joy I can say the operation was a huge success.
“Stuart is a remarkable guy. Now Alan will have more energy and a better quality of life, not just for him but our entire family.”