A Gambian man and his mother, who flew 14,500km from the West African nation to donate a kidney to her son, on Thursday thanked doctors and staff following the transplant at a Taoyuan hospital.
“Thank you, Taiwan. The doctors and nurses in Taiwan are very professional and I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen,” said 40-year-old Lamin Jarjusey, who had stage five chronic kidney disease and underwent a transplant last month at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
Jarjusey, who came to Taiwan as a student eight years ago and found employment after graduating, was diagnosed with the disease about three years ago, when he sought treatment after noticing blood in his urine, the hospital told a news conference at Taipei’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, where there was a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate his recovery.
Photo: CNA
He started receiving dialysis treatment after his condition worsened last year, it said.
In the advanced stages of the disease, the kidneys typically lose their ability to work effectively, and eventually dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed, it said.
After discussing possible treatments with Jarjusey, it was decided that his mother would come to Taiwan to donate a kidney, the hospital said.
Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued special entry permit to Jarjusey’s mother to come to Taiwan in February as a kidney donor.
Kuo Yen-chih (郭彥志), a kidney specialist at the Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said that communication was difficult at first, as the mother can only speak Mandinka, a language spoken in the Gambia.
Fortunately, the hospital was able to find Gambian students who also spoke Mandinka to help translate, Kuo said.
Wang Hsu-han (王敘涵), who heads the hospital’s urology department, said the mother was discharged five days after the surgery, while Jarjusey also recovered well and is expected to return to work next month.
Jarjusey thanked his mother for giving him a new lease on life, and the Chang Gung medical staff for treating him.
“Before the surgery I felt sleepy and tired all the time, and felt cold, and [there were] so many complications, but now I feel good,” he said.
“I would like to give a big thanks to my mom for giving me another chance. She brought me into this world and she gave me another chance for a healthy life,” he added.
As of August last year, 762 people from abroad have applied to the Ministry of Health and Welfare to come to Taiwan for medical treatment, said Wu Ming-yen (吳明彥), who heads an international medical working group at the ministry.
Of the applicants, 307 have been approved, Wu said, adding that the majority involved cancer treatment, followed by craniofacial reconstruction and cardiovascular diseases.
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