Rosan Oosthuizen, 60, from Wellington in the Western Cape, shares the remarkable story of meeting her living kidney donor at a high school reunion. After hearing Rosan’s story, her classmate relayed it to her husband. Despite barely knowing each other at the time, he generously offered to donate his kidney to her.
1. Which organ did you receive, and in what year?
A kidney transplant in 2023 from a living donor.
2. How long were you on the waiting list for your organ?
3 years
3. What was life like before the transplant How did you spend your days?
I found out that I had polycystic kidneys at around the age of 22 and had to start dialysis in my late 50s. It was extremely difficult and tiresome to do my work as a teacher. Sometimes I could not attend a function or go away for a weekend, because there was no dialysis available nearby. I had many issues with a graft (*dialysis access) that failed, bacteria in my first port (dialysis access) until I finally moved from port number 4 to graft number 2.
4. Describe the emotions experienced when you were told your donor is a match?
I was overwhelmed and couldn’t believe that it was going to happen.
I had eight potential donors and none of them worked out, I had resolved to give up finding a living donor. At my high school reunion, I met one of my classmates and her American husband and it turned out that he was willing to get tested to see if he could donate a kidney. After many months and a lot of tests, the transplant went ahead. During the operation on that Tuesday, everything went well, and by Friday, I didn’t even need pain medication anymore. However, Michael experienced pain for a bit longer.
Both Michael (living donor) and I are doing very well. He says that people who don’t want to donate are sissies. I can go on holidays, or just go away for a weekend, without planning for dialysis. I try to do all the things that I couldn’t do before the transplant.
6. What advice would you give patients on the waiting list?
Eat according to what you are allowed to, don’t miss a treatment and mention your condition (and the lack of organ donors) to everyone you meet.
7. Why do you think there is a shortage of donors in South Africa?
There is not enough awareness of the problem. Maybe there should be outreach programmes to government and other offices. And I pray that this story will inspire someone to consider organ donation, all the patients who are still waiting, may also receive help. Because it is awful when your friends around you die because someone like Michael didn’t come into their lives in time.
8. If you could describe transplant in one word, what would it be?
Life-changing (a miracle and selfless deed).