Midlothian man's life transformed after sister donates her kidney

Assed Ramae speaks out on World Kidney Day

Assed Ramae

A GRATEFUL brother was given a new lease of life after his loving sister donated him a kidney.

Assed Ramae from Bilston, needed both a liver and kidney transplant after being diagnosed with a rare condition which resulted in stage 4 kidney disease.

The 41-year-old father-of-two is now backing a drive to raise awareness of living donation on World Kidney Day today.

“Even though I’m still in recovery, the fact I’m no longer on dialysis is massive,” said financial services worker Assed.

“I spent around three years dialysing, before and after my first transplant, and found it to be so draining, it would wipe me out for an entire day.

“Balancing twilight dialysis, where I’d get home from the hospital after midnight, with work was so tiring, so I’m looking forward to getting back to work without this burden.

“We put life on hold as a family, but now just simple things like being able to take my daughter to the leisure centre, remind me that life can restart.”

Following his liver transplant in 2018, he went on to receive the kidney he desperately needed from his younger sister, Noreen Ashraf in December 2019.

Over 800 people in Scotland have helped others by donating a kidney in the last decade. A kidney from a living donor generally offers the best outcomes for patients living with kidney failure who need a transplant.

There are two routes to living kidney donation – directed donation where a friend, relative or partner donates to a loved one, or non-directed altruistic donation which involves a person donating to a stranger.

After suffering from kidney stones since he was 19, Assed’s condition got progressively worse until tests highlighted there was an issue with his liver function, a condition called hyperoxaluria, which was causing his kidneys to fail.

He started dialysis and was then listed for a liver transplant in 2018, with surgery going ahead just eight months later.

Once doctors were confident Assed’s new liver was functioning correctly, living donation was raised as possible route, whilst Assed’s dialysis continued.

More than 7 year wait

More than 250 people in Britain have been waiting for a kidney transplant for more than seven years, new figures reveal.

Data from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) show that 266 people in the UK have been waiting more than seven years for a kidney transplant - the average wait is between one and three years.

Receptionist Noreen, 40, said: “Having watched my brother sit on the waiting list for a liver transplant, we didn’t want him to have another long wait for a kidney.

“I knew his wife had been tested, but wasn’t a match; so me and my older sister went along to see if we could help.

“To anyone considering living donation, I’d say just go for it. My recovery hasn’t been as straightforward as I’d hoped, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

“Assed was actually up and about before me after the surgery, and seeing how much healthier he’s looking now is so great as that’s exactly why I decided to do this.”

To find out more about living donation visit livingdonationscotland.org