Donating an organ can be a daunting prospect for many people as the process can be rather painful and lead to possible complications in the future.
For one woman, there was no second thought in her mind in giving one of her kidneys to her elder sister after hearing that her life was in danger due to kidney failure.
Symptoms
Speaking to Sin Chew Daily at the flag-off ceremony for the Mount Kinabalu climbing event, Hu Xiuli (transliteration) said she began experiencing swollen legs and headaches between 2008 and 2010.
Following a medical examination, she found out that her kidneys had been damaged. Over the course of two years, Xiuli saw her condition gradually worsen, where she was diagnosed with kidney failure and required a kidney transplant.
Donation
At the time, Xiuli’s younger sister, Xiuzhen, was living with her in KL and had heard about the former’s diagnosis.
I volunteered to donate a kidney and didn’t think much about it since I felt it was my responsibility to help my family.
“The matching tests and pre-surgery examinations took more than a year and it wasn’t easy at all. I still remember the days where I brought my laptop to the hospital and resuming work the day after the surgery,” she recounted.
Complications
During the transplant surgery, Xiuli experienced complications such as a sharp drop in blood pressure, causing her hospital stay to be extended from one week to a month.
Feeling emotionally distressed due to the hospital environment and her physical condition, Xiuli requested to be discharged early so her mother could care for her at home.
“While waiting for the transplant, I had to undergo dialysis every day while continuing with my work routine. There was even a time where I brought my dialysis equipment along on a trip to Thailand,” she added.
Living life to the fullest
Thankfully, the transplant proved to be successful and Xuili has not undergone dialysis for the past 12 years, where she’s able to continue working as an ophthalmologist while living a normal life.
As for Xiuzhen, having just one kidney has not negatively impacted her life whatsoever and she often participates in marathons, plays badminton, and is even learning Muay Thai.
Both sisters are also looking to conquer Mount Kinabalu together tomorrow (May 8).
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