Firstborn of mother of 5 giving her his kidney

GEORGE NEWS - A 62-year-old mother of five from George who has been suffering immensely due to kidney failure, has renewed hope for a better life after both her sons have been found to be suitable donors to her.

Carol de Swardt says she was starting to show symptoms of kidney failure from 2020. Her body was swelling and she was constantly fatigued. "I felt sick all the time and was constantly dehydrated."

Her condition worsened and by 2022 she ended up on dialysis. She undergoes a four-hour dialysis three times a week and after each treatment, she feels terrible afterwards. "I am constantly nauseous and vomit all the time. My back aches because of my diseased kidneys and I am always tired."

Carol says the illness is in her family. "My mother died because of kidney failure and my one grandson has had to start with dialysis recently."

In May this year, Carol's doctor, Ignatius Immink, referred her to Dr Trevor Gerntholtz, a nephrologist from Cape Town who determined that she was a good candidate for a transplant.

"I had such a wonderful surprise when my eldest son, Cyril (46), came to me earlier this year to say that he has been following a healthy lifestyle for a year now because he wanted to be healthy enough to donate a kidney to me. He had stopped smoking and drinking, but kept quiet about it for the entire year."

Carol's youngest son, Ferrier (24) also underwent tests to see if he was a match, and the answer was positive. "This means that if the operation is not successful, I have yet another chance, so I am immensely grateful."

Now she just wants to get well. When George Herald visited last week, Carol had just returned from dialysis and it was obvious that she was in physical agony. She has to have the transplant by August and in the meantime, she is waiting for a date from Schuur Hospital where it will be done.

Cyril is doing this because his mother has always been there for him. "It is my turn to give back, She sacrificed her own needs for our family's well-being. I am her firstborn and it is the best way to show my love for her. I want to be there for her, to hold her hand, and to help her through this challenging time. I just want them to 'plug and play' now - take out my kidney and get it into her. We are ready to go. The longer we wait, the longer she has to suffer."

According to Dr Gerntholtz, there is a high chance of children being a match for their parents, because they share half of the genetic material of each parent. The donor's blood group must match and certain genetic tests are also done to determine if the donor is a match.

Talking about the risks of a transplant, Gerntholtz said the receiver needs to be on strong anti-rejection medication after the operation and this can cause heart disease. "In the case of the donor, any operation carries a risk, but we go to a lot of trouble to make sure that it is safe to donate a kidney before taking it out."

He said complete recovery of the donor and receiver takes about three months.

Cyril has started a BackaBuddy account to raise funds for the accommodation and flight costs for him and his wife. They live in Pietermaritzburg and have to fly down to Cape Town for the operation at Groote Schuur Hospital, but cannot afford it. The BackaBuddy account goes under the name, 'A selfless act of love: helping a son save his mother's life'.

Andries has also started a BackaBuddy account to raise funds for some of the medical and accommodation costs which is under the title My Wife needs a Kidney Transplant.

Carol and her eldest child, Cyril, the donor.

Joseph Tigere

George Herald reported on the journey of Joseph Tigere from Thembalethu who had a kidney transplant as a state patient in 2015. Seven years later, in 2022 it failed. In accordance with state healthcare policies, George Hospital was then not allowed to provide Joseph with permanent dialysis treatments and he could not afford private treatment.

To save his life, kind donors contributed to his private dialysis. His main sponsor, Huw Pritchard, enrolled him in a medical aid a year ago. The cover takes a year to kick in, which will be next week, on 1 July. Thankfully, Pritchard will keep on paying for Joseph's medical aid. This week Joseph said he was doing okay and he is keeping his hopes in God.

Carol de Swardt with her children and husband, Andries. Her two sons are Cyril and Tristin (back, right) and daughters, from left: Debbie Joubert, Jackie Loubser and Samantha Shrives.