A dream comes true for kidney patient

By REBECCA WALSH, health reporter

For overseas kidney dialysis patient Radhika Lal it is a dream come true.

As the 17-year-old walked into Auckland Hospital yesterday for the last dialysis treatment paid for by her insurance company she was told an Auckland children's charity would pay the $70,000 cost for another year of treatment.

"I was screaming as soon as I heard it. I'm so happy, so very happy I can't believe it," she said.

Insurance company International SOS yesterday stopped paying for the Fiji-born teenager's treatment. That meant her family in Papua New Guinea faced a bill of about $5800 a month to continue the dialysis - without which she would die within weeks.

After reading a report about Miss Lal's plight in the Herald, Sarah Hood, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities, contacted board members and they agreed to pay 12 months of dialysis costs while Miss Lal's family continued the search for a suitable donor.

Ms Hood said the organisation did not usually support one-off cases but felt Miss Lal's was a worthy one. She had come here with the best intentions - an aunt was to donate a kidney but suffered a stroke which meant she could not have the surgery.

"It's circumstances outside of her control ... that tugs at all of our heart strings."

Ms Hood said a fund would also be set up for public donations towards transplant surgery and associated medical costs.

Miss Lal's father, Rajendra Lal, lives in Papua New Guinea and has been trying to find a donor. He cannot donate a kidney because he has diabetes and other family members are not a suitable match for a transplant.

Yesterday, Miss Lal, who has had dialysis every second day since arriving in October, said she was overwhelmed by the support she had received and wanted to meet representatives of Ronald McDonald House Charities to thank them.

She planned a celebratory dinner with the family she was staying with and was keen to find out if she could get a student visa to go back to school. "I am so excited. It's like a dream come true."

Miss Lal's stepmother, Jineeta, said the news was the first answer to the family's prayers. They were considering looking for a donor in India but planned to travel to New Zealand in the next couple of weeks to see Miss Lal and work out what to do next.

Professor Stephen Munn, director of the kidney and liver transplant unit at Auckland Hospital, said clinicians would help to find a suitable donor.

Kidney donors

* Anyone wanting to donate a kidney must have a compatible blood type and tissue type to the person needing the transplant. Family members are the most likely to be a close match.

* Surgery can be done laparoscopically or through more invasive surgery.

* The "native" kidneys (the ones that are not working) are left inside the patient and shrink.

* Up to 150 kidney transplants are performed each year.

* Anyone wanting to find out about donating a kidney can contact the transplant co-ordinator at Auckland Hospital. Phone 3074949, ext 6339.

Donations: People wishing to donate money for Miss Lal's ongoing care can go to: Ronald McDonald House Charities