The man with three kidneys and a ‘woman voice’ after transplant

By Macharia wa Gakuru

It must have been around 20 hrs. I had just come from my bathroom and I had my washing towel round my waist. I had just finished having my shower . my younger daughter  was playing with a new game called dibro and my nephew was standing just next to the TV screen as he is accustomed in doing.

The phone rang

‘Hallo’

Hallo, I replied

‘Oh – Githibo,’ I called It is a long time friend who lives in Canada. I immediately recognized the voice.

We had not met or talked with Githibo for over five years. He had heard that I had a problem with my kidneys and somehow he had managed to get my house number.

‘Who is this’, he asked

‘Well you want to tell me you don’t know who you are calling?’ I replied

‘Ah  gosh – is it you Macharia’, he replied in surprise.

‘Yes’ I replied

‘Well your voice has truly changed. It sounds smooth, interesting, inviting , cultured and very feminine. What happened?’ He asked.

‘Well, I can only guess, but why have you noticed this yet Gitau wa Njenga of the nation, Ngugi of Rift valley news  or even Agnes of Kenya London news had not picked my changed voice?’ I asked. ‘It would have been a good Nation story. The headlines would read; 

‘A man with three kidneys – with a woman voice’, or ‘macharia wa gakuru now speaks like a woman after kidney transplant’ ‘voice change for kidney patient ‘ ……. ‘ or Gilbert Deya would have a field day in his preaching of what God can do to a writer who he does not  agree with his ‘miracles babies’ theory. The sermon would go ‘God protects man of God and strikes those who write against the servant of the most high God. Now this man speaks like a woman – just as the donkey spoke in the days of Baalam as in the bible in the Book of  2 Peter 2:16’ the sermon would go.

My health

In this issue I would say I am the subject so journalist and preaches please stay aside. Let me tell the real truth to all. I am fine. I am the man that was before May 2007 – before I was pronounced sick with kidney failure. I have gained my weight from a mare 62 Kg to now my normal weight of   75 Kg, my skin and color texture have come back and I feel absolutely fine I feel good just like you who are normal. My Creatinine reading is 107 (normal people without kidney failure is between 80-120 depending on physical size). My blood pressure are very much controlled and I am very fine.

I am well and unlike what the newspaper would like to report my voice activities are fully macho – man fully kikuyu man with all his ego and characters.  Feeling like a tiger but not Tiger woods – the man of all times. Yes to all of you I am good.

The story is the same  for another  three Kenyans in the UK who have had kidney failures and subsequently transplant and talking to them they are doing very fine. Thank God for donors who sacrificed themselves for the sake of their brothers or relatives to make these patients  life’s better. In my case I cannot thank enough my sister Njoki for giving herself and donating her kidney to me – disregarding all the pain – discomfort, the risks of infection and many other things that could have gone wrong. Njoki extended my life. God bless you sister and many others out there who have filled their donor cards and willing to donate their organs – I beg you don’t let them rot at death if they can save another persons life. We need to change our mentality.

I want to thank all of you my fellow Kenyans. You went this journey with me as when I got ill, I shouted at the top of my voice – I am ill. You came to my rescue. You gave me your money, wished me well, prayed for me, some fasted, visited me in Guys hospital and some for you came to my thanks giving of 6th of June which remarkably started a new challenge in my life – well now its very easy to deal with though. With a kidney failure and walking away from the grave I cannot sink further than this. I am really grateful to God for giving me  another chance to life. I don’t have a day to be sad or cry. Every day is so valuable that I cannot waste it. I just want to be happy – full of joy and I want to give this to others. This is my mission in life. I will use this new life to serve my country and my people. To my pastor  Edwin Kibathi , members of PCEA UK outreach and the leadership of PCEA Kenya for they carried the bulk of my burden.  God bless you. Above all I want to thank Lucy and my daughters Mumbi and Wanjiru for their comfort and care. You mean a lot to me. At least I can now say I will see my grandchildren – well God allowing.

The sad story

Not all kidney failure stories have ends up like mine. This is the sad part of my story. I had a very close friend because her kidney failure came just around the same time as mine. Her name is Mrs Kamande. She passed on a few months ago after struggling with kidney problems. Her children did all what they could but finally it never worked. They went to India with one of her sons and there was some complications and finally had to go back to Nairobi ending back on dialysis machine and finally she passed away.  May her struggle to live be a driving force to us all to make sure that Kenyans will have kidney treatment including transplant in Kenya.

This is where now we are. After my problems I did not seat on my hands. I did all what I could to see that I could do something on kidney issues in Kenya – give back to my community. Today I can thank God because in January 2010 if all goes to plan a German company – the best in the world is installing dialysis machines in Kikuyu PCEA hospital.   The ministry of health Kenya gave me 8 hospitals to equip with  dialysis machines. Doing work with the government is hard work and issues go at snails pace. Quoting Barack Obama – ‘…..it may not take us one term … but we will get there. We will defiantly get there’.

I have more good news. This December 2009 another private hospital is in the process of signing up with us for the same deal and we are on our way to Tanzania with the same mission.

There is hope

But what did we negotiate? well with the new deal at PCEA Kikuyu Hospital dialysis is about Ksh 2000 cheaper than Kenyatta National Hospital and we are working flat out to see that no patient will be turned down treatment because they don’t have money for dialysis.

We are going further than this I am hoping that by December 2010 we will have transplant happening out of my experience in Kenya. I have a team of surgeons, doctors, consultants, nurses and well wishers who have become a part of this project. The very good news is that we have been working with Githimbo on a proposal to get a big medical company to achieve this dream. They have made the first agreements and they are meeting in January 2010 in Holland to see if our proposal makes any business sense to them.

We cannot do it alone – the health issues need all of us to act. I am sure you know or have heard someone who had issues that required an organ – it is me today but might be you tomorrow – God forbid. It is good we are in the West – Europe or America but in Kenya after spending all the accumulated wealth people with health issues ends up finally in the grave. Together we can change that.

I will be back on Ben TV channel in the new year 2010, my new books will be published in January 2010 – Mumbi and Prince Olympics (www.mumbibooks.com ). We will be making our first 10% money donation to Kikuyu hospital in the early 2010. Thanks for many of you who have bought ‘Deya and the miracle babies’ book. I appreciate.

We are working with PCEA Kikuyu Hospital. Please make your donation  via their website http://www.pceakikuyuhospital.org/donations.php.

Please mention in support of  Renal / dialysis unit God bless you for being part of my life. 

All I can tell you all things that I was restricted to eat last December 2008 I will have lots of them – bananas, lots of drinks- all sorts, cheese, potassium – calcium’s –anything but no grape fruits or juices – it does not like transplanted kidneys!

 Merry x-mass and happy new year – drink and drive responsibly!