Bluff man needs another kidney
He is running out of time but we don’t want to say goodbye yet,”
A DESPERATE Bluff family appeals to the community to assist their son, Shayne Koekemoer (29) who needs a kidney transplant but is only 621st on the donor transplant list.
Since the age of 17 years, Shayne has suffered with crippling end-stage kidney disease.
In 2009, his mother gave him her own kidney to sustain her son’s life. For eight years, all went well for both mother and son but in February 2017, Shayne’s new kidney rejected due to a cytomegalovirus CMV virus infection.
This setback has crippled his health, taking him back to square one. CMV proves fatal for most people with compromised immunity, such as those who have had an organ transplant. Shayne’s anti-rejection medication had lowered his immune system in order to prevent his body from rejecting the kidney.
Mother, Kaz Koekemoer said her son is in desperate need of another kidney transplant.
Unfortunately, none of her family are a match. “Since my boy was a teenager, he has been through a lot. His disease was caused by hypertension (high blood pressure) and reflux in the kidneys. He began treatment, which was hemodialysis three times a week at Chief Albert Luthuli Central Hospital. Dialysis is a clinical purification of the blood as a substitute for the normal function of the kidneys,” she said.
READ: Amile (7) needs R2-m liver transplant
Dialysis caused Shayne to experience fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, itchy skin, sleep problems, nausea and vomiting.
He could only consume 500mls of liquid per day, including meals. A catheter was placed into his arteries for dialysis treatment. “Often these catheters would block up over a period of time and would have to be relocated to another artery, as the previous arteries were no longer usable. Some of these were inserted in his neck and chest.
His surgeon then inserted a fistula, which provides a direct connection of an artery to a vein, which provides an access point with good blood flow for dialysis. He has been through it all and we really thought my kidney was enough to save him. He was doing so well,” she added.
READ: Montclair pupils pull together to help fund Amile’s lifesaving surgery
With two children of his own, aged four and six-years-old, Shayne’s wife is the only breadwinner as he is too sick to work. Life has been tough in the Koekemoer household, as the family struggles financially and battles to deal with the to and fro lifts to hospital and ensuring the children get to school and back.
With most of Shayne’s life spent in hospital, it pains Kaz to see her once healthy and vibrant son attached to cords and machines. With hope fast dwindling, his only chance is another kidney transplant but he is number 621 on the waiting list.
READ: Community rallies for girl’s (7) liver transplant
“He is an amazing person and to see his life go to waste is not easy. He now has thrombosis of the veins, which is blood clots in the veins, making those veins unusable for the insertion of catheters which may be necessary. Shayne has a catheter in his femoral artery and it’s the last vein available for use. He is running out of time but we don’t want to say goodbye yet,” she pleaded.
Shayne’s mother Kaz urges the community to get tested to see if they are a match.
In order to be a kidney donor, you will need to meet the following criteria:
• Be aged between 21 and 45-years-old;
• Have no history of hypertension (high blood pressure);
• Have no history of diabetes, and;
• Be blood type A+ or O.
“If anyone fits the criteria, please go to Chief Albert Luthuli Hospital and get tested for free – you might be the only hope to save my son’s life; to give my grandchildren another day with their father.
Call Kaz on 082-594-4508 or Shannon at the renal clinic on 031-240-1000.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
To receive news links via WhatsApp, send an invite to 061 876 3179
The Southlands Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)
