Brother's Kidney Gift Ends Eight Years of Dialysis Agony in Uganda

Stephen Mpagi, a 28-year-old clinical psychologist, watched his 23-year-old brother suffer for nearly eight years on dialysis due to abnormally small kidneys diagnosed in 2015. Frequent infections, high blood pressure, and weakness marked the patient’s decline, with each dialysis session costing Shs300,000 and draining family resources.

On December 20, 2023, Mpagi volunteered as a living donor in a government-funded transplant program at Mulago National Referral Hospital. After compatibility tests confirmed low rejection risk, the surgery succeeded, freeing his brother from dialysis for the first time in years.

Mpagi recovered quickly, resuming normal life as his remaining kidney adapted through compensatory growth, restoring 80-85% function. He dismissed myths of lifelong weakness, noting one healthy kidney suffices for most people.

Experts like Dr. Dennis Kiguli from Victoria Hospital emphasize transplants restore dignity and independence over dialysis, vital in Uganda where kidney disease affects up to 10% of adults, driven by diabetes, hypertension, and late diagnoses. Living donors, mainly family, fill the gap without a deceased donor system.

Challenges persist with few dialysis centers, high costs, and low awareness fueled by cultural fears. Calls grow for education, infrastructure, and policy to boost transplants.

Key facts on kidney donation:

• Healthy donors undergo rigorous screening.
• Remaining kidney adapts post-donation.
• Quick recovery and normal life possible with care.
• Safer in specialized centers; better than long-term dialysis.

This story inspires hope amid Uganda’s kidney care struggles. Source: Daily Monitor