Mathew’s kidney transplant

Mathew D'souza, my cousin Linda's husband suffered kidney failure in May 2021. They reside in Bharuch, India. He was started on dialysis on 14th June 2021, but doctors have explained that this is not a permanent solution for his condition. His only option is a transplant.

Mathew (47) and Linda (44) have 2 children, Kyle (19) who is in his final year of Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Sancia (14) who is still in the 9th grade.

Mathew and Linda do not have medical insurance as their current monthly incomes sufficed to meet their monthly needs. The situation with the pandemic has made it more difficult to supplement their income in any way. Mathew is currently a tutor to children appearing for The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) & Linda, is a teacher in a Convent school in Bharuch.

The rules for kidney transplants require that the donor be a blood relative of the recipient. There are also numerous tests and a large amount of paperwork that need to be done before the donor can be approved.

We have assured them that we will do our best to raise the money by requesting contributions from relatives and friends. We also ask that you pray for them, the donor and their families, for a successful transplant and good health to follow.

His maternal aunt who is the same blood group O+ve offered to donate one of her kidneys, as soon as she was told about Mathew’s prognosis. This is an extremely positive start, and we are so grateful for her consideration and love.

We’ve put together a list of the expenses they will incur for this procedure, and we pray you will help us raise the required amount.

1. Cost of twice or thrice weekly dialysis until the transplant.

2. Donor testing to confirm compatibility, and related paperwork.

3. Transplant surgery.

4. Medication for the recipient and the donor, post surgery.

5. Cost of hospitalisation for the recipient (minimum of 14 days) and the donor (minimum of 7 days)

6. Immunosuppressant drugs and after-care for Mathew going forward.

The estimated amount they will need could come up to approximately INR 18 lakhs, based on their consultation with the doctor and his team on Mathew’s case. We expect this estimate to go up by about 20% by the time the procedure is concluded.

We appreciate any help at all that you could manage. Small drops of water can make a mighty ocean so any contribution that you can afford will be very much appreciated. Thank you .