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Pretoria – After a few weeks of nail biting, the kidney that cabaret artist Elzabé Zietsman donated to her niece last month, is finally working.
Zietsman called reporters on Monday afternoon with the good news.
"It's official. The kidney works and for the first time in ten years she is off dialysis."
When the kidney started discharging for the first time about two weeks ago, Retha Schoeman, 28, from Pretoria, wanted to keep it quiet.
Zietsman said her fear of possible disappointment was just too big.
"The discharge doubled every day and her blood tests are basically normal."
'Fright of his life'
Schoeman had been struggling with kidney failure since her teenage years and at 14 got a kidney from her mother, also called Retha.
This kidney, as well as another kidney from a donor who died, was rejected every time after about two years.
Schoeman spend the last few years on dialysis and first had to be treated with intravenous immunoglobulin to bring down the levels of antibodies in her body.
Zietsman donated her kidney on May 6 to Schoeman.
However, due to acute shock, the kidney didn't start working right away. "It was in my body for 50 years, where it probably had a good life. We joke that he then got the fright of his life when he saw how much work there was to do in Retha's body and he first had to figure out how to do the job," joked Zietsman.
Wedding date
Zietsman recovered well from the operation and still had some stabbing pains and cramps in her abdomen.
"The first few weeks were the deepest and darkest hole in which I've ever been in my life. Now it's incredible."
The family "celebrated" the kidney with a dinner over the weekend and Schoeman gave her first steps towards a life without dialysis by immediately setting a wedding date with her boyfriend.
Zietsman said the family was grateful for everyone’s support. She encouraged people to register as organ donors.
Zietsman called reporters on Monday afternoon with the good news.
"It's official. The kidney works and for the first time in ten years she is off dialysis."
When the kidney started discharging for the first time about two weeks ago, Retha Schoeman, 28, from Pretoria, wanted to keep it quiet.
Zietsman said her fear of possible disappointment was just too big.
"The discharge doubled every day and her blood tests are basically normal."
'Fright of his life'
Schoeman had been struggling with kidney failure since her teenage years and at 14 got a kidney from her mother, also called Retha.
This kidney, as well as another kidney from a donor who died, was rejected every time after about two years.
Schoeman spend the last few years on dialysis and first had to be treated with intravenous immunoglobulin to bring down the levels of antibodies in her body.
Zietsman donated her kidney on May 6 to Schoeman.
However, due to acute shock, the kidney didn't start working right away. "It was in my body for 50 years, where it probably had a good life. We joke that he then got the fright of his life when he saw how much work there was to do in Retha's body and he first had to figure out how to do the job," joked Zietsman.
Wedding date
Zietsman recovered well from the operation and still had some stabbing pains and cramps in her abdomen.
"The first few weeks were the deepest and darkest hole in which I've ever been in my life. Now it's incredible."
The family "celebrated" the kidney with a dinner over the weekend and Schoeman gave her first steps towards a life without dialysis by immediately setting a wedding date with her boyfriend.
Zietsman said the family was grateful for everyone’s support. She encouraged people to register as organ donors.
