In the last 23 years, N. Manohoran has been celebrating World Kidney Day and International Women’s Day like no other man. For, he survives thanks to a kidney donated by his wife after uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes caused renal failure.
A retired banker, Dr. Manoharan’s transplant lasted twice longer than an average transplant from an unrelated donor. Second kidney transplants are common in people who opt for it before the age of 40. In the same breath that he recalls the hurdles to his inter-caste marriage, he talks about the need to preserve one’s health.
“I suffered renal failure due to my negligence. The signs and symptoms were there for me to see,” he said. “Uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, added with stress, took its toll on me. However, if I had sought medical advice when I had the time, I might not have required the transplant,” he said. Fuelled by his own experience, he now relays his plight during talks to convey the importance of being healthy.
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A large number of live kidney donations involving a male recipient witness a woman — either the mother or wife — making a donation. A study published in 2014 by clinicians from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, identified wives donating a kidney in 87% of all donations made by a spouse. The numbers are not different in Telangana either, say those working for increased awareness on organ donation.
“We see that a wife donates the organ to her husband keeping in mind the need for the bread winner to remain healthy. Such women are not employed themselves. However, there have been instances where working women too have donated, where the emotion attached dictated the choice,” said M. Bhanuchandra, senior transplant coordinator for Jeevandan, the State’s cadaver organ donation scheme.
According to the Ministry of Health, India’s unmet need for kidney transplant stands anywhere between one lakh and two lakh. With increasing cases of diabetes and hypertension, the demand is expected to rise. With cadaver donation still in the infancy stage despite such donations increasing in recent years in select States, including Telangana, live donors are the mainstay for kidney donations.
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