When you need a kidney, you really need a kidney. The other options/alternatives are either dialysis or DEATH. Unless you have a death wish.
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The New Paper
17 July 2008
Jamie Yeo was born with only one kidney.
If it fails, she says...
I would do anything to get a donor
By Jeanmarie Tan
TELEVISION host Jamie Yeo has been following the ongoing debate about the legal and ethical implications of organ donation with much interest. It's a topic close to her heart because she was born with only one kidney.
Her condition, called renal agenesis, is considered fairly common, occurring in roughly one in 5,000 people. It is not usually life-threatening or of any major concern as long as the other kidney is healthy. Jamie's 58-year-old father also has renal agenesis.
The Stomp Star Blogger revealed her condition publicly for the first time on her blog on Monday. She had spoken up about it because it was relevant to this week's topic on organ trading.
She wrote that she 'empathises greatly' with those in need of transplants and that she's 'in a rather precarious situation because unlike 'normal' people, I don't have another kidney to fall back on in case one fails'.
She also wrote that if she were to be caught in such a situation, she would do 'anything and everything I can to get hold of a willing donor, stranger or family, man or woman... As long as there's consent, money and everything isn't going to be a problem. I'm sorry. I don't want to die'.
On her decision to go public with such a private matter, Jamie, 31, told The New Paper that she didn't think it was a 'big deal in this day and age'. 'I wanted to explain why my opinion was such. I feel for everyone involved... and I can't fault someone for wanting to save his own life.' Her condition doesn't mean she actually has a higher risk of getting kidney failure. She said: 'Even though I only have one kidney, it's larger than a normal kidney and it's functioning just as well as two healthy kidneys.'
The ESPN/Star Sports presenter said her parents told her she had renal agenesis when she was 11, but she wasn't fearful because they did it in a 'reassuring' manner.
REASSURING PARENTS
She recalled: 'They were like, 'Don't worry, Daddy has it too.' I thought, no wonder my parents always nagged me to drink more water when I was growing up (to flush out the toxins).' Her younger sister and brother don't have renal agenesis.
Her parents first discovered Jamie's condition when she had a urinary tract infection as a baby, which was eventually cured. But as a precaution, she had to go for annual check-ups until she was 12.
She didn't have to take any medication or seek treatment for her condition. A non-drinker and non-smoker, she just has to take care of her health, diet and exercise, and avoid contact sports.
Jamie told her husband of four years, Class 95 DJ Glenn Ong, about her condition 'very early' in their relationship. Since then, the couple - who have been dating since 2001 - have kept it so quiet that even his parents don't know.
Jamie said with a laugh that Glenn, 37, didn't shower her with special attention after finding out, because 'he always treats me with care'. Glenn told The New Paper: 'I had never heard about (renal agenesis) before. I didn't know what to say when she first told me, but it did scare me because I was thinking of the long-term risks.'
He said he hasn't tested himself to see if he's a potential donor match because he wants to 'think positive'. He added: 'If a spouse finds out he's a match, on the outside he'll say yes, but is the answer really yes? Does he do it willingly or only because he has to? 'I suppose I would, but honestly, I'm scared to death. I dare say I dread that day if it ever comes. That's why I think Pierre is the man! And they weren't even married yet!' Glenn was referring to actor Pierre Png, who donated a part of his liver to then-girlfriend, now-wife, Andrea De Cruz in 2002.
But Jamie's condition didn't stop Glenn from wanting to marry her. He said: 'I did think about the consequences, but you accept someone with their condition or you don't. I love her, and at the end of the day, I took a risk.' Glenn said his fear for Jamie's health is ' always at the back of my mind', and added: 'Even when she goes to the toilet more frequently than usual, the fear comes back. And I always feel she doesn't drink enough water. But we can only hope for the best and pray.'
HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY
Even though having one kidney has never given her serious health problems, Jamie admitted it has affected her reproductive system and that she's more susceptible to a high-risk pregnancy. Although children aren't on the couple's list of priorities now, Jamie insists her condition is not the reason they are holding out.
But she remains optimistic and upbeat, saying: 'If I do intend to get pregnant, I have to get myself checked more frequently. 'But again, it's not a big deal because my gynaecologist has treated patients with similar problems (who have given birth successfully). And even if the baby has only one kidney, I know it'll be fine because my dad and I are fine.'
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Below is the complete blog post that led to the news story above.
I was born with only one kidney so...
Jamie Yeo -
Look, I understand all the fuss surrounding the trading of organs and how you need to have strict ethical guidelines such as, donations can only be made by family or spouses, and you can't just simply buy one from someone off the streets who's willing to make some cash. The strict laws are in place to discourage the illegal trading of organs. If organs can be so easily bought and sold, who's to know that the organ sold belongs to a donor/seller who actually gave their consent? We've all heard horror stories of people who have gotten kidnapped, then murdered for their organs. Well folks, these stories are true unfortunately.
But see, human beings are depraved. Give them a set of rules and they'll soon find a way to break them. As the saying goes, there will always be a few bad eggs. Illegal trading is going to happen anyway with or without strict guidelines. But of course, I do recognise that if there ARE stringent laws in place, it might happen less frequently.
Then again, as with every other situation in life, it is much easier passing judgment from afar when it doesn't concern you in any way.
The stats are grim. Kidney-failure patients here in Singapore wait an average of nine long years for a kidney if they don't have matching family donors. Healthy people will never ever understand the amount of fear, uncertainty and desperation people in dire life-or-death circumstances face. We think we do but we don't.
I'm not here with answers today because I'm aware that it is somewhat of a pandora's box we're dealing with. I think the safest bet is to view this with as much compassion as we can muster and to realize that not everything in this world is black and white. Sometimes we have to take on each situation individually and not apply the same set of ethics and rules all the time. It's like a teacher dealing with her students. You can't apply the same tuition, encouragement and attention to all of them because they all come from different backgrounds, environments, etc.
What I can say for sure though, is if I were to be in a situation where I needed an organ transplant to live, you can be sure I'd be doing anything and everything I can to get hold of a willing donor, stranger or family, man or woman, whatever. As long as there's consent, money and everything isn't going to be a problem. I'm sorry. I don't want to die.
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