Birmingham medics in kidney transplant mercy trip to Africa

Aug 16 2009 by Alison Dayani, Sunday Mercury

‘‘The two donors have made excellent recoveries and will go back to normal life within weeks.”

The British team helped African doctors Ayo Shonibare and Ebun Bamgboye carry out the operations at St Nicholas Hospital, in Lagos.

The operation is much more dangerous than on an adult as it involves placing a large organ into a smaller body, which has a different metabolism.

After the Brit surgeons agreed to fly in to Lagos Joseph’s elder brother William, 20, offered to give up a kidney.

“I lost my heart when Joseph was so ill,” said his father Sylvester.

“I spent all I could but I ran out of money and I felt that life was leaving us all.

“It is wonderful that Joseph’s brother has been able to donate a kidney and this transplant is a true blessing.”

Christian’s father Andrew was also quick to donate one of his organs after previously helplessly watching the death of two other sons from kidney failure.

Jennie added: “The families are so grateful and can’t thank us enough. Seeing the look on their faces after the operations was wonderful.

“But this isn’t just about these two children, it’s about saving other lives in the future too.

“Transplant Links was set up so that British surgeons could travel to developing countries, passing on their knowledge to local doctors through pioneering operations.

‘‘Knowing we can mean the difference between life and death is what this is all about.

“These operations should help medical development in Nigeria, so it is saving lives on a national level.

‘‘The hospital facilities in Nigeria are actually very good and clean. You actually don’t need anything too complicated for a transplant, so it was fine.’’

Transplant Links will now keep in close contact with surgeons in Lagos to help them maintain transplant operations on more children.

Dr Shonibare said: “Currently this group of patients gets the least attention amongst those with kidney failure, giving rise to inadequate treatment.

“We need the help of Transplant Links as we want to build a local team that will work at our hospital and with other teaching hospitals in Nigeria in order to offer paediatric kidney transplant services that will save many precious lives.

“The team of doctors from Birmingham have many years of experience and we are grateful that they took time to share their vast knowledge with us. No books could teach us what they do.”

The charity has already carried out a number of other valuable medical missions in Trinidad and Ghana, which normally cost £1,000 for each member of the team which includes 11 surgeons, nurses and theatre staff.

The medics made history by carrying out the first ever kidney transplant in Ghana in 2008 on Charles Antwi, who received the organ from his sister.

The visit to Ghana also prompted an international mission to save the life of teenager Felix Yeboah by flying him into Queen Elizabeth Hospital for a kidney swap with his pastor father, Michael, last March.

His plight touched the heart of Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker who visited the young Villa fan at his hospital bed while he was recovering on his 15th birthday.

Felix is now doing so well that he has been able to return to school.