Woman plans to buy kidney to stay alive

[Wattle]

Woman plans to buy kidney to stay alive
By Clair Weaver
September 23, 2007 06:47am

Article from: The Sunday Telegraph
Sydney Australia


Woman plans to buy kidney from Philippines
Has been on organ donor list for three years
Fears she will become too sick for transplant
NO one should have to make the impossible choice facing Vicki Pascual: to risk death waiting for a kidney transplant or to buy one from a poor Filipino.

For almost three years, Ms Pascual's health has been steadily deteriorating as she waits on dialysis. The 40-year-old and her fiance, Brent Jones, who are getting married in November, fear if they don't take drastic steps she will become too sick for a transplant or die.

They are planning to go to the Philippines, where it is legal to buy human organs - unlike in Australia. The couple are researching Filipino hospitals and doctors, who will find a paid donor who is a good match and perform the transplant.

The trip is planned for early next year. Their last, macabre hope for avoiding it is for a transplant kidney to become available in Australia over the Christmas/new year period, when the road toll rises.

"I'm feeling desperate because I can see how this is taking its toll on my body," Ms Pascual said.

"My chances of getting a kidney in Australia are really low because the organ donorship rate is so abysmal.

"I pray there is a normal life waiting for me after this - you don't have a life on dialysis.

"People judge you but what do they know? If they were in my place they would do the same."

Ms Pascual, who works as an executive assistant at Channel Seven, and her development manager fiance were forced to put plans to start a family on hold after she was suddenly diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease in 2004.

She needs gruelling five-hour dialysis sessions three times a week to clean her blood at Mater Hospital in North Sydney.

Blood tests reveal her health is slowly failing and her arm is disfigured after repeated operations to repair collapsed veins.

She faces an impossible dilemma, hoping a kidney becomes available in Australia with no idea where she is on the confidential waiting list. None of her relatives nor Mr Jones are close enough matches to donate.

Costs of an overseas operation are likely to run into tens of thousands of dollars, but Ms Pascual has a relatively good chance of finding a good match as she is part-Filipino.

"I want to meet my donor and make sure they are properly compensated because it's an amazing gift - it's the gift of life," Ms Pascual said.

It is illegal to buy or sell human organs in Australia, so desperate patients travel to more lenient countries, such as China, the Philippines and Turkey for a transplant.

Ms Pascual is also arranging medical care for her return to Australia, when she will need to take drugs to stop her body rejecting the kidney.

Latest figures show 1415 Australians are waiting for a kidney transplant, with an average wait of four years. Many will die waiting, fall too ill or get too old to qualify for the operation.

Australia has one of the lowest organ donorship rates in the developed world, despite one in seven adults being affected by kidney disease with 160,000 on dialysis.

Anne Wilson, CEO of peak body Kidney Health Australia, said her organisation couldn't endorse going overseas to buy a kidney but would not condemn those who did.

"If you are in a situation where you are effectively dying, you have had a long wait and you have got no light at the end of the tunnel, how can you blame people for wanting to go to another country to get one?" she said.

She called on the Federal Government to adopt a national strategy for kidney disease.

[Sluff]

Desperate situations result in desperate measures. I just hope she has good medical coverage and I hope the results are good.

[jbeany]

"People judge you but what do they know? If they were in my place they would do the same."

I am in her place - and I wouldn't do it, even if I had the money.

[angela515]

Everyone has a different opinion on this type of thing... I don't really know where I stand, I would probably have to be in that situation to fully answer it. I waited 2 1/2 yrs for my transplant this time around, but I wasn't fearful that I would be too sick to get one b/c I wasn't deteriorating in my health.

I bought my mom  few gifts after our transplant out of love, and gratefulness... So was I compensating my mom, just with gifts instead of cash? Dunno.

[glitter]

More power to her. Hope it turns out okay.

[livecam]

There was a time when I would have never considered such a thing.  I believed in playing by the rules and waiting for a transplant which eventually happened.

If I lost this kidney tomorrow I wouldn't be willing to sit in dialysis limbo for years and years again.  Been there, done that.

I'm not sure just how I would do it but I would very actively pursue a transplant by the most expeditious means possible.

[goofynina]

Oh yikes, that sounds risky, hope it turns out ok for her 

[babi68]

I can understand where she is coming from. She is taking a risk though. I know my doctor is against going overseas. I have been waiting for 4.5 years now. I AM very worried how I will go and if I will be able to have a transplant by the time a kidney comes around. Everyone just assumes that you move up the list as time goes on, but that's not the case. I don't have the money anyway to pay anyone.. money can buy anything... just hope it all goes o.k. for her. LIz

[tamara]

Everyone has a different opinion on this type of thing... I don't really know where I stand, I would probably have to be in that situation to fully answer it. I waited 2 1/2 yrs for my transplant this time around, but I wasn't fearful that I would be too sick to get one b/c I wasn't deteriorating in my health.

I bought my mom  few gifts after our transplant out of love, and gratefulness... So was I compensating my mom, just with gifts instead of cash? Dunno.

Allan is bribing me with back massages for his kidney ! but hey it's all worth it ! hail to the donor 

[KT0930]

"People judge you but what do they know? If they were in my place they would do the same."

Actually, I (like many others on here) am in her place, and we had a very wealthy family friend ask us if money would help me get a kidney faster. So I could afford to go overseas and buy one if that's what I wanted. However, I couldn't live with myself if I paid someone for their kidney. I don't know what kind of donor screening they do in other countries, and I don't want someone to give me a kidney simply because they need the money, regardless of the risk to themselves (if they were informed of what that risk would be). I know it's going to be a long wait for a kidney, but I am dealing with that, and I'll wait, thank you.

[goofynina]

Everyone has a different opinion on this type of thing... I don't really know where I stand, I would probably have to be in that situation to fully answer it. I waited 2 1/2 yrs for my transplant this time around, but I wasn't fearful that I would be too sick to get one b/c I wasn't deteriorating in my health.

I bought my mom  few gifts after our transplant out of love, and gratefulness... So was I compensating my mom, just with gifts instead of cash? Dunno.

Allan is bribing me with back massages for his kidney ! but hey it's all worth it ! hail to the donor 

Shooot girlfriend, your lucky if your getting a kidney with just back massages, i am sure there are other things he could be asking for too    You two are too damn cute