A nurse at St George’s Hospital in Tooting has donated her kidney to a stranger after someone did the same for her husband.
Filipinas Nercua was unable to donate to Cesar because their blood groups are different.
When Filipinas discovered she was instead able to donate a kidney to someone else who shared her blood group, she decided to ‘pass on the kindness’ when a match was found for Cesar.
She said: “When we were told Cesar needed a kidney transplant, we were immediately asked if we could look for a donor.
“I didn’t think I could donate because we have different blood groups, but I felt I had to come forward and be tested.
As suspected, I couldn’t donate to Cesar but I was told I could instead give my kidney to someone else.”
Cesar had been living with polycystic kidney disease and diabetes for many years, and over time his kidney function gradually deteriorated until doctors confirmed he would need a transplant.
Filipinas, a surgical nurse at St George’s since 2007, said: “I saw the way Cesar was suffering because he needed a new kidney. He became breathless, and we couldn’t even go on walks together anymore. Watching him decline was so hard that deciding to donate my kidney to someone else was made easy.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else going through what Cesar was going through.”
More than 8,200 people waiting for an organ transplant in the UK, with 6,500 of those people waiting for a kidney.
Elaine Clancy, Group Chief Nursing Officer, said: “Filipinas’ story is an inspiring example of the expert kidney care we provide at St George’s, and highlights the need for our new specialist renal unit.
“More patients like Filipinas and Cesar will benefit from our state-of-the-art facility, which will be one of the largest renal services in the UK and will treat the most seriously ill patients across South West London, Surrey and beyond.”
Filipinas’ act of kindness was made possible through the NHS Kidney Sharing Scheme which is run by NHS Blood and Transplant.
The scheme helps people receive a kidney transplant when a willing donor like Filipinas isn’t a direct match for them.
Normally, a living donor like Filipinas gives a kidney to someone they know, but when they are not compatible the scheme matches pairs in the same situation with others across the UK.
Dr Abbas Ghazanfar, Care Group Lead for Renal and Transplant Surgery and the surgeon who treated Filipinas, said: “At St. George’s, we regularly participate in the scheme to help our patients receive a compatible kidney through a living kidney transplant.
“Filipinas is an incredible and kind person. She donated her kidney to a stranger in exchange for getting a kidney back for her husband. It was a meticulous process involving three centres, resulting in three successful kidney transplants and saving three lives”.
