Breaking down the barriers surrounding live organ donation

Dialysis patient and father-of-three Khalid Bashir, who lives in Rochdale, is on a one-man mission to break down the barriers surrounding live kidney donation because he knows it could save someone’s life.

Khalid, who was diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago, lived an active lifestyle regularly playing golf and badminton but two years ago, he found he was struggling to breathe during a badminton session.

He said: “I thought it was something to do with my heart but then I started getting swellings in my legs and feet and then I got a lung infection.

“Unfortunately, the water started coming near my heart and by the time I was admitted to Salford Royal, only nine per cent of my kidneys were functioning. It was a really big shock.

“When I have dialysis, I sit near a 92-year-old, an 84-year-old and a 74-year-old and they tell me, ‘what’s happened has happened, you just have to get on with your life and be as normal as you can be’.”

Khalid, 58, has now been on dialysis since June 2018, a process in which waste products and excess fluid are removed from the blood when the kidneys stop working properly. He undergoes three, four-hour sessions of dialysis at Salford Royal’s satellite unit in Rochdale every week.

He has now been on the transplant waiting list for just over a month.

Khalid said he is determined to not let his condition stop him from leading a normal life and has dedicated his spare time to breaking down barriers in the South Asian community, to raise awareness and educate his peers about live organ donation.

He said: “Religious reasons are fundamentally behind why some members of the South Asian community will not consider live donation.

“It’s an interesting issue and a very sensitive one but the Imams have to raise the game as it would help to break down the barriers. I want to educate them about why live donation is important, it could save someone’s life.

“Unfortunately, I lost my mother due to kidney failure and a lack of awareness. Nobody wants to talk about it, but I will hopefully help change attitudes.”

Khalid has organised a free public event about BME Diabetes and Kidneys. The bilingual event will be spoken in English and Urdu and will be held on Tuesday 12 March, from 6pm, at Castlemere Community Centre, Tweedale Street, Rochdale.

Kidney specialists from Salford Royal will be joined by transplant surgeons and dietitians who will all be presenting at the event, which is organised in conjunction with voluntary organisations UMEED Hope for Life and Rochdale Diabetes Foundation.

Dr Rosie Donne, Consultant Nephrologist at Salford Royal, said: “Being on dialysis is a difficult life and, in some cases, can lead to financial hardship and even loss of employment. 

“Sadly, some of our patients die while waiting for a kidney transplant.

“Our team at Salford Royal hopes to increase the number of living donors so more people can avoid dialysis completely or shorten their wait for a life-saving transplant.

“We can all help by talking to our loved ones about donation and joining the organ donor register to allow our organs to be donated if we die suddenly.”

Khalid added: “It would be brilliant if someone who has been to the event comes forward to get tested because they would like to donate a kidney, that really would be the icing on the cake.”