Donate organs so others may live longer
KIDNEY TRANSPLANT SURVIVOR’S APPEAL
A KIDNEY transplant recipient at the Region 1 Medical Center five years ago has appealed to healthy citizens to support the advocacy of the Department of Health (DOH) for organ donation to give others a new lease on life.
Serafin Feraren, a businessman from Dagupan City who received his new kidney in January 2013 donated by his house-helper, Rodilla Espanol from San Fabian town, said were it not for the donation, he would have been long dead by now.
He was profuse in thanking both Espanol for sharing one of her kidneys that prolonged his life, and the doctors who performed the procedure in a testimonial he delivered during the advocacy forum on organ donation organized by R1MC on June 18.
He admitted he was first diagnosed to be diabetic and attributed it to his unhealthy lifestyle from boyhood to manhood. Apart from his diabetes, he suffered from hypertension and when he was feeling weak, he most often resorted to self-medication, which may have complicated his medical condition even more.
“That was my mistake,” he said, as he soon found out he had a kidney problem when he took a medical examination, along with his wife and two children, a requirement for migration to Canada.
He said his family was given a clean bill of health except him. Upon the advice of the Canadian embassy, he consulted a nephrologist to help him. He had two options left: take regular dialysis or have a kidney transplant.
He went to R1MC where Dr. Abraham Coquia, a noted kidney doctor, gave him hope but only if he can find a kidney donor.
He said he was fortunate that Rodilla agreed to share one of her kidneys. The transplant was performed by Dr. Adolfdo Parayno, a kidney surgeon from Calasiao and Dr. Coquia in 2013.
Feraren was among the 12 kidney transplant patients at R1MC since 2012 , said Dr. Joseph Roland Mejia, R1MC director.
R1MC is now the only DOH-accredited government-owned Renal Transplant Center north of Manila.
His advice to avoid dialysis and kidney transplantation: Adopt healthy lifestyle, drink plenty of water and don’t hold back the urge to urinate. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
