#AppreciationMonday: Couple share their baby girl with the world after organ transplant
A Cape Town couple who went through organ transplants share their happy story of becoming parents to a baby girl!
World Organ Donor Day was celebrated on the 13th of August, and when we heard about this story, we thought what better way to share something positive and uplifting when it comes to a topic that isn't really spoken much about?!
Being an organ donor can be considered a scary thing for many people. Besides the religious factor that allows people to exercise their right to freedom of choice and belief, there is the fact that facing something that potentially forces you to address your morbidity isn't the most ideal of conversations.
An article was published revealing that hardly any South Africans were organ donors. When we read the below we were jolted into a reality that many of us would prefer avoiding...
"The crime of organ trafficking generates around $840 million to $1.7 billion annually. Kidneys are the most commonly trafficked organ. A scandal that had international repercussions hit the headlines 20 years ago when a syndicate operating in South Africa was uncovered that had been involved in selling kidneys from hundreds of illegal kidney transplants at hospitals in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban." (The Conversation)
On that note, it is said that the main reason that many South Africans are not organ donors can be attributed to lack of awareness and understanding, as well as the negative media portrayal of tissue and organ donation, as well as reports of unethical research elsewhere on the African continent. (The Conversation)
There are also misconceptions when it comes to having an organ transplant and not being able to conceive. This theory was smashed out of the park by Cape Town couple Tamzin Lee and Jakobus Weideman, who were both organ transplant patients and welcomed a healthy baby girl into the world during the pandemic.
"According to Tamzin Lee, she had seen many doctors and physicians throughout her high school life as she would have days where she had no energy." (News24)
None of them could place what was the matter with me. Late in November 2014 I was sick with flu-like symptoms and after about a week of not feeling better, my family rushed me to the Groote Schuur Hospital emergency room.
"The Weidemans said they desperately wanted to have a baby but the odds were stacked against them as they were unsure about whether they would be able to bring a child into this world due to them both having kidney transplants." (News24)
As much as this new family feel happy and blessed in their situation, they advise those who are in similar situations to always consider their health first before trying to get pregnant.
Organ transplant coordinator, Fiona McCurdie, said that 30 years ago, patients were actively discouraged from falling pregnant. This says a lot about the advancement in the medical field. However, it was also mentioned that due to the pandemic, there has been a negative effect on transplants at the hospital. (News24)
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