Red Cross Children's Hospital achieves 300th kidney transplant milestone

Red Cross War Memorial children’s hospital celebrated its 300th kidney transplant on Friday, June 6.

The children’s hospital first opened in 1956, though it performed its first renal transplant in 1968.

The 300th kidney transplant recipient, Cee-Jay Zimmerie, 17, from Grassy Park, who underwent his operation in the middle of May, said he felt much relief.

“I was nervous before the operation. I was also shocked initially when I became sick without warning. I had to mentally prepare myself for surgery, and I am very happy it went well,” he said.

Cee-Jay’s mother, Alicia Zimmerie has been by her son’s side every step of the way.

She recalls the day he was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.

“He was only 14 and we were at Groote Schuur at the time when we were told he would need a transplant, and then we started visiting Red Cross. We’re grateful for all of the support from the healthcare workers,” she said.

Professor Mignon McCulloch, head of the Clinical Unit of Paediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation at the children's hospital, expressed her joy following the transplants.

“We are absolutely delighted to have celebrated our 300th, 301st, and 302nd kidney transplants in the last week,” she said.

Professor McCulloch said that the hospital is grateful to the families of organ donors.

“We are very grateful, as are our paediatric patients and their parents, for giving them a new lease of life and getting them off dialysis. All three of them were on dialysis for a long time,” she said.

She added that these transplants are only possible through teamwork.

“We are also grateful for our wonderful teams at Red Cross and Groote Schuur, including surgeons, paediatricians, dieticians, social workers, nurses, intensivists, anesthetists, managers, and the list goes on. It really does take a team for a successful transplant in children,” she said.

The provincial department of Health and Wellness is also encouraging the public to consider organ donation to give someone a second chance at life. 

According to the provincial department of Health and Wellness, organ donation and tissue donation are both crucial components of medical treatments in adults and children, but they involve different types of donations and have different purposes.

According to provincial Health and Wellness there are solid organs which include the heart, liver, pancreas, and lungs, while tissue donations include corneas, skin, bone, tendons, and heart valves.

An example of a tissue donation includes corneal transplants to restore vision or skin grafts for burn survivors. You can potentially help over 50 people through tissue donation.

If you want to become a bone marrow donor, simply visit the South African Bone Marrow Registry at www.sabmr.co.za and follow the easy registration steps.

For solid organ donation, the Organ Donation Foundation (ODF) of South Africa works to raise awareness and encourage people to consent to organ and tissue donation through education and outreach programmes. 

To register as an organ donor, sign up online or call ODF’s toll-free line at 0800 22 66 11, or visit https://odf.org.za

After registration, a small donor card, and stickers for your ID and driver’s licence will be issued.