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.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
RSS