In celebration of World Liver Day tomorrow, we feature the story of Ashleigh, who donated part of her liver to Judah, a 13-month-old baby boy. Ashleigh Darne’ is 43 years old and lives in Gqeberha.

1. Which organ did you donate, and in what year?
I donated a portion of my liver last year, in October 2022.

2. How long was your recipient on the waiting list for your organ?
My recipient is Judah Bradfield, who was 13 months old at the time of the transplant. He was born with Allagille Syndrome and was in dire need of a liver transplant. I don’t think he was actually listed for very long as we were working on the process of me possibly being a donor from May 2022.

3. What made you decide to donate?
For me as a Christian, I felt that the Lord spoke to me and ‘dropped’ the idea into my heart. Although we were friends with the Bradfield’s and were following along with Judah’s story, I had never considered being a donor for him before. After I ‘heard’ the Lord whisper to me a few times, I asked Judah’s dad – Glyn, for those initial medical history forms and started along the process. At this stage, I was unsure what my blood type was! At each and every step of the way, at every test – I prayed for the right doors to open and close and the doors just kept opening for me to be the donor!

4. Describe the emotions experienced when you were told that you are a suitable donor?
It was a bit of a surreal feeling, but I also had great peace about the whole situation. I was happy and relieved that we had got through another step, but as the donor co-ordinators will tell you until you are being wheeled to surgery – there are just so many factors at play that can still stop the surgery, so for me, it was more of one more tick on the list to our goal!

5. What is life like now, after donating an organ?
Life is great! I would say it took about 2 full months to completely feel like my ‘old self’ again. Now there isn’t anything I can’t do that I did before the surgery.

6. What advice would you give people considering being a living donor?
I would say, “Go for it!” And while it is not an easy thing to do, it is so worthwhile and it has been one of the biggest honours in my life to be able to do this. It is always worth going through the process of registering and finding out whether you could help someone with organ donation.

7. Why do you think there is a shortage of donors in South Africa?
I think the main reason is a lack of knowledge. Most people are not aware that this is something they could do and how to go about it.

8. Has the idea of an altruistic donor become an outdated expectation in a modern society?
Perhaps it has but I don’t believe it should be! Modern society seems to teach us it’s all about ‘me time’, put ourselves first and it’s often about instant gratification! This can all be healthy in moderation but unhealthy if it becomes our entire focus. Christianity is based on Altruism really. Everything we are taught in the Bible is to put others before yourself.

9. What is the biggest stigma/myth you have heard about organ donation?
I was approached by 2 different nurses, while in hospital, that commented that their African culture believes that their Ancestors require you to be buried with all your organs intact. They both said to me that because they have worked with donors and recipients, they have both changed what they believe and would now donate to family members if needed.

10. If you could describe donation in one word, what would it be?
A ‘Privilege’

11. Summarise the benefits of organ donation in one word.
‘Lifesaving’