Kidney donor fights on Thursday, 3rd April 2008
WELLINGTON: Nine months ago, Rebecca Mason was having surgery for the removal of a kidney to prolong her brother’s life.
Now, the slight 54-year-old Wellingtonian has come through a gruelling threehour battle to earn a black belt in Seido Karate.
The 1.67m tall daughter of playwright Bruce Mason took a pummelling in 40 fights from male opponents who far outweighed her 58kg.
She walked away with only a few bruises to her left arm and a treasured black belt.
But her journey to success had been even tougher after she decided to donate a kidney to her brother, Julian.
Her 56-year-old sibling was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), with one kidney the size of a peanut and the other deteriorating.
‘‘Without a transplant, I was facing regular dialysis and a long queue for a suitable donor,’’ the Matamata telecommunications expert said.
‘‘I had no energy, had constant headaches, agonising gout and was struggling to cycle, which I’m passionate about.’’
‘‘Bex and I share the same blood type and her kidney, although small, was in perfect condition.
‘‘I didn’t want to put her under any pressure to donate it to me,’’ he said.
The decision to have such risky surgery was not easy for Rebecca.
‘‘The main reason I did it was because I wanted Julian to be around for his grandchildren,’’ Ms Mason said.
As a token of his appreciation, he gave her a kidneyshaped gold ring, which she wore the night before their surgery.
They were operated on within an hour of each other at Auckland Hospital on June 27 last year.
Rebecca faced 2 1 /2 hours of keyhole surgery that knocked her around much more than she had expected.
‘‘I lost 5kg and there were various post-operative complications.
‘‘I felt a bit ripped off when the doctor said I couldn’t get back into karate for months.’’
But she returned to work as an executive coach within weeks, and by December was doing 15 hours a week of karate training at the Thorndon dojo in Wellington.
Relaxing at her Island Bay home, she played down her sporting achievement.
‘‘A black belt is just a white belt beginner who never stopped training. Getting one is not the pinnacle of the journey it’s just the start,’’ she said.
‘‘Donating an organ is not a walk in the park, but I fully recovered despite my age and achieved my black belt.’’
The siblings say the transplant has brought them closer and given Julian back his quality of life.
Although on a cocktail of anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life, he is cycling 100km a week and flying his two-seater glider.
‘‘With her kidney inside me people are asking whether I’ve started doing karate kicks or sitting down to pee,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s all good. I can never thank her enough,’’ he said.
‘‘The hospitals are constantly getting bad press but the Auckland renal unit and its staff are fantastic.’’ NZPA
http://www.odt.co.nz/article.php?refid=2008,04,03,30,03000,34f0057ecfadc37d155a8110742e011a§=4
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