Bein an organ donor is a noble act of kindness

Twenty-eight-year old Cristina Gianan was at the peak of her career as a physical therapist in Oman when she felt constant back pain, severe headache and swelling of the feet (manas). 

“At first, I thought it was due to the nature of my job,” she says. “But when my blood pressure started shooting up — it even reached 140/100 — I knew something was wrong.”

After a series of lab tests, her doctors delivered the dreaded news.

“I have ESRD (end-stage renal disease),” Cristina said. “I had no idea that my hypertension was slowly destroying my kidneys.”

Cristina flew back to the Philippines where she started treatment.

“I was a peritoneal dialysis patient. I needed three bags (each bag costs P300) of dialysis solution a day. The ‘ritual’ got so tiring and depressing that I even thought of giving up,” Cristina recalled. “On top of that, I had oral meds to take and pay for.”

She underwent dialysis for six months before she considered having a kidney transplant.

“I’m so glad I did. My new kidney — which was donated by my elder sister — gave me a new lease on life,” enthused Cristina.

Rogelio Valdezco Sr. provided consent for his brain-dead 18-year-old son Rogelio III to be an organ donor.

Cristina is just one of the 32,000 patients in the country who developed kidney failure and started dialysis treatment. In 2015 alone, newly diagnosed patients with ESRD rose to 18,000.

“The number of Filipinos with kidney failure, technically known as ESRD, is increasing tremendously, primarily due to uncontrolled hypertension and type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Romina Danguilan, organizing committee head, Renal Gift Allowing Life for Others (ReGALO), a multi-stakeholder alliance advocating for organ donation and kidney transplantation, during the National Kidney Month briefing held at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI).

In order to survive, ESRD patients must undergo either dialysis — peritoneal or hemodialysis — or kidney transplantation.

But dialysis should be temporary. It’s just a bridge to kidney transplantation.

“Kidney transplantation is considered the treatment of choice for many ESRD patients. Quality of life and survival are better in kidney transplant recipients than in patients who are treated with dialysis,” explained Dr. Danguilan.

Give Hope For Survival

Kidney disease, especially ESRD, is already the seventh leading cause of death among Filipinos.

“One Filipino dies due to kidney failure every hour, and this figure will further increase unless more people in the country decide to become organ donors,” warned Dr. Romina Danguilan.

Cristina Gianan underwent peritoneal dialysis for six months before undergoing a successful kidney transplant. Photos by BENING BATUIGAS

Sadly, the number of kidney donors remains dismally low.

“In 2016, there were 438 patients transplanted from living kidney donors, a figure that has been relatively stable since 2009. In contrast, there were 64 transplants from deceased organ donors in 2009, which peaked at 90 in 2011 and progressively decreased to 42 in 2016. Last year, the number of kidney transplants from deceased donors in the country dropped to 20,” lamented Dr. Rosemarie Liquete, NKTI executive director.

Dr. Enrique Ona, who served as NKTI executive director for 11 years prior to his appointment as Health Secretary in 2010, shared Dr. Liquete’s sentiments.

“In previous years, the NKTI received an average of 30 deceased organ donors per year, yielding 60 donated kidneys. This year to date, the NKTI has received only three deceased organ donors.”

The coalition ReGALO, spearheaded by Maria Corazon Torres Y Javier Foundation, the Kidney Foundation of the Philippines, Kidney Transplant Association of the Philippines and Novartis Healthcare Philippines, is aimed at helping raise awareness on organ donation with the hope of encouraging everyone to Give, Care & Share — give of yourselves through organ donation; care enough to sign up and become a willing organ donor; and share what you have with your family and friends.

“ReGALO means ‘gift’ in Filipino. And being an organ donor is the best form of gift you can give patients fighting for dear life,” said Dr. Danguilan. “There’s an urgent need to save patients with kidney failure. And that yellow card — Organ Donor card — you keep in your wallet would go a long way in saving other peoples’ lives.”

According to Dr. Danguilan, one deceased organ donor yields two kidneys that benefit two transplant patients.

“Solid organs like kidney and liver are transplanted in the Philippines from heart-beating deceased donors who have been declared brain dead,” she explained. “These organs can’t be transplanted after the patient has been declared dead. Only the eyes can be harvested after death for transplantation. Non-heart-beating transplantation is performed in other countries but we don’t do the operation here for now.”

Doting father and teacher Rogelio Valdezco just made the best decision of his life: donate his late son Rogelio Valdezco III’s vital organs when he was pronounced brain-dead.

“It pains me to realize that my son was no longer with us, but it gives me so much joy and pride to know that he was instrumental in restoring life back to 20 transplant patients,” said Valdezco Sr.

Dr. Francisco Sarmiento III, program manager of PhilNOS, lauds Rogelio Valdezco III’s act of kindness.

“Being an organ donor is a celebration of the continuity of life. Being a teacher is already a noble profession, but deciding and providing consent for your child to be an organ donor is an equally noble act of kindness and love. So on behalf of the Department of Health, we would like to thank you for your selfless act,” enthused Sarmiento III.

According to Christine Fajardo, corporate affairs head, Novartis Healthcare Philippines, all organized religions support organ donation, typically considering it a generous act that is the individual’s choice.

“If you donate your organs after you die, you could save and improve the lives of many Filipinos, especially those with kidney failure,” she added.

Be a hero. Carry an Organ Donor Card. Be an organ donor.

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ReGALO is calling on Filipinos to sign the Organ Donor Card and keep the card with them at all times. To download and print the Organ Donor Card, just click on http://nktigov.ph/images/HOPE/Organ-Donor-Card or visit ReGALO FB page at https://www.facebook.com/RegaloORganDonationAdvocacy/.

Persons with valid driver’s license may also tick the “Organ Donor Option” at the back of the license to express their willingness to donate all their organs or just a specific organ.