Woman pleads on Twitter for a new kidney

Johannesburg - One woman's nine-year battle with renal failure has seen her take to an unexpected medium in the hope of getting a second chance at life.

In recent months, several unemployed graduates have been seen standing on street corners holding placards showing their credentials, effectively begging motorists for a chance for a job.

Pictures of the graduates have gone viral on social media.

Last month, this particular strategy worked for graduate Anthea Malwandle, a chemical engineering graduate who received a call from Sasol after a picture of her standing on a busy intersection with a placard asking for a job went viral on social networks.

And while Andiswa Busakwe, 33, may also be unemployed, her plea on Twitter which had garnered over 1 200 shares by Monday was a little different.

Busakwe is seeking a kidney donor.

“Please help. I need a kidney donor. On dialysis for nine years”, her placard read.

On Monday, the Queenstown resident said she first knew something was amiss in 2006 after delivering her daughter via caesarean section.

“I noticed my feet starting to swell up, but I didn’t take it too seriously because my doctor said it might have to do with the caesarean. Then in 2008, I started having morning sickness. I would wake up feeling sick. I had constant headaches, back pain and nausea. I went to hospital and was told by the doctors something was wrong with my kidneys,” she said.

While doctors couldn’t pinpoint what exactly caused the kidney failure as she hadn’t exhibited common symptoms, and didn’t particularly have high blood pressure, doctors told her it was at an advanced stage, diagnosing her with stage 5 kidney failure.

“I started dialysis immediately as I was told there was nothing more doctors could do and have since had to be on the dialysis machine for four hours three times a week,” she continued.

The kidney dialysis machine acts as an artificial kidney and filters harmful wastes, toxins and excess salt and fluid from the blood.

However, even with the hope dialysis had given her, that too is running thin as she was told her most of her veins were no longer viable for dialysis, with only one vein accessible.

“I’ve been on the hospital’s organ transplant waiting list for nine years and throughout have experienced challenges. Now my veins are blocked and it is difficult to connect me to the machine. I sent out the post because I know as black people we don’t generally donate organs… there are lots of people on that list at Frere Hospital waiting for an organ who have been waiting for a long time. I wrote the post to also raise awareness to that”.

Busakwe, who celebrated her birthday on Monday, said she was grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness.

According to the Organ Donation Foundation, there are 4 300 South African adults and children awaiting a life-saving organ transplant.