As six people in the UK die every week whilst waiting for a kidney transplant, a woman from London is sharing her experiences of donating a kidney to her friend of 50 years to inspire more people to consider if they could become a donor.
Gita Shah from Barnet, donated a kidney to her friend Swetal in 2017, who lives with kidney disease and was told that she needed a new kidney or else she would need life-limiting dialysis treatment for the rest of her life. Gita had previously had no idea you were able to donate a kidney while you were alive, and is raising awareness of this to help other people in need like Swetal.
Gita is sharing her donation story for the first time to raise awareness of the Make Your Mark campaign, a partnership between two leading UK kidney charities, and is urging others to consider if they too could become a living kidney donor for others in urgent need.
Gita said: “Swetal and I have been close friends since we were teenagers, over 50 years ago. One day, she explained that she has PKD – polycystic kidney disease. She asked our friendship group if anyone would consider donating a kidney. I almost laughed at first – I didn’t even know you physically could donate a kidney while you were still alive!”
Kidney donations frequently come from deceased donors, who agree to donate their organs after death. However, there is still an ongoing shortage of kidneys across the country, leaving people like Swetal in a painful wait for transplantation. Around a third of kidney transplants in the UK are now from living donors. The success rate for transplants from living donors is also better than that for transplants from deceased donors, and the kidney can also last many years longer.
Reflecting on why she first considered donating a kidney, Gita said: “I think my decision was partly inspired by my dad. He was a blood donor for my cousins when they were born prematurely. He passed away 22 years ago, but whenever I see my cousins, now in their 50s, I’m still reminded of what he did.”
A poll carried out by the Make Your Mark campaign earlier this year revealed over a third (35%) of adults in London would consider donating a kidney to a family member, while over one in twenty people (6%) would even consider donating a kidney to a stranger[1]. If these people were to come forward to donate, they would not only save lives but also save the NHS money compared to keeping patients on expensive and life-limiting dialysis treatment, as shown in a report released by Kidney Research UK in 2023.
The partnership’s Jan Shorrock, who donated a kidney herself in 2013, said: “There are more than 6,000 people in the UK who are currently on the waiting list for a kidney. Despite our best efforts to date, six people die every week while waiting for a kidney. Kidney donations from people like Gita offer the opportunity to transform a person’s life through their gift. If her story inspires even a few people to consider donating themselves, then it could make a huge difference to people like Swetal who are living with kidney disease and waiting for that life-changing phone call to say a kidney donor has been found.”
Since her donation, Gita has seen her friend’s quality of life improve dramatically, and is proud of the gift she was able to share.
“I’ve been able to see the effects the transplant had on Swetal, it’s given her a new lease of life. I would never describe my donation as something extraordinary. It’s something I was able to do, so I did it. I’m happy I was in a position where I could do it.”
