-pleads father in urgent need of kidney transplant
“I’d like to live for my children…” Abdool Raffi Khan, 43, said in a plaintive tone that sounded like a plea for his life.
Khan was diagnosed with chronic renal failure (CRF) a few months ago and his only hope of surviving this disease is a kidney transplant but for this he needs a donor. The man and his family are hoping that someone will be able to answer their prayers and become the donor.
Parbattie Jerry, Khan’s reputed wife, explained that he has siblings but they are older and therefore not able to donate the kidney on which their brother’s life depends. “I think maybe it’s because of their age and maybe they are scared,” Khan said, when asked why one of his siblings couldn’t give him a kidney.
Jerry explained that her reputed husband is the father of two sons, a 2-year-old and a 15-year-old. The older resides in the United States with his mother but still would not be able to become a donor because of his age.
The man who was the caretaker at the Muslim Youth Organisation is at present residing there with his family but as his disease advances his trips to the hospital increase. Khan’s blood group is B positive and he is pleading with anyone of the same group to answer his prayers so that he may live for his children.
CRF is the progressive loss of kidney function. The kidneys attempt to compensate for renal damage by hyper-filtration (excessive straining of the blood) but over time this causes further loss of function. As a result of this chronic loss of function the kidneys shrink and most parts become scarred. In Khan’s case the major cause of CRF was uncontrolled hypertension.
The overall scarring of the kidneys obscures the site of the initial damage. In most cases, it is not until over 70% of the normal combined function of both kidneys is lost that most patients begin to experience symptoms of kidney failure.
Dr. Ravindra Swammy of the Department of Internal Medicine, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in a letter stated that Khan “was presented to the GPHC three months ago with complaints of shortness of breath, chest pains, generalized weakness and swelling to the feet…the same gradually worsened daily.”
The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana is at present standing the expense of treatment for Khan in the form of haemodialysis which began approximately two weeks ago when the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan began.
However, the man’s family said that while they were not told how long Khan can survive without the kidney transplant, they were advised to get a donor as soon as possible. “Our son will be two next month,” Jerry said, “I’m afraid that my husband may die before or soon after then.”
“I am begging someone, anyone out there to have some sympathy,” she softly said, “…we are in desperate need of help…his life is now a clock which is steadily ticking the time away.”
Anyone who wishes to offer their assistance to Khan is asked to contact Jerry (called Shanta) on telephone numbers 226-1233 or 673-7240 for further details.