Saved by his dad, his hero
BRYANSTON - In a marriage proposal to signal the end of hardship and a new lease on life in September last year, in a small forest in Bryanston, Steven Khoury got down on his knee and proposed his girlfriend, Georgette van Rensburg.
This was not an ordinary proposal as Khoury had decided to take a leap of faith at this particular moment in his life after his world came crashing down in July last year.
At the tender age of 29, Khoury’s doctor told him that he needed a new kidney. After years of kidney trouble, his kidney function was only at eight percent. According to Khoury, the average person in South Africa waits eight years for a kidney donor.
At this stage, Edward, Khoury’s father, was convinced he had the blood type B+. Khoury was A+ and Edward assumed he was not an appropriate match.
Khoury’s mother, Ursula, went for tests to see if she could donate her kidney, but instead of establishing whether or not she was a match, the doctors found she had breast cancer. Unfortunately, Ursula could not donate one of her kidneys.
In a desperate attempt to assist his son, Edward went for further tests. It turned out that he was, in fact, the same blood type as Khoury and was in perfect physical condition to donate one of his kidneys. Edward competed in five Comrades Marathons and believes that all of his training was in preparation for the day he would save his son.
After only three months of waiting for a donor, Khoury had found his match.
On 15 December, both son and father went into surgery at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Parktown. The surgery went exceptionally well and, within four days, Khoury’s kidney function had increased to 72 percent. Instead of staying in hospital for two weeks, Steven was allowed to go home after only a week.
Although he had to spend more than two months in isolation, Khoury remained positive. Three months after his surgery, Khoury is back at work and is enjoying his life with his beautiful fiancee.
When asked how he managed to stay so strong, Khoury said his faith in the divine power of God pulled him through.
The next few months are crucial for Khoury, but he said his doctor is happy with his progress.
A part of Edward will always remain in his son’s body – a permanent, priceless and life-giving gift that his son will always carry.
Edward has recovered from the surgery and Ursula is now cancer-free.
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