Donor hopeful stays positive
Matthew Legemaate always makes sure he has something to look forward to, and this weekend it’s the Family Fun Walk being organised by the Organ Donor Foundation.
|||Durban - Matthew Legemaate always makes sure he has something to look forward to, and this weekend it’s the Family Fun Walk being organised by the Organ Donor Foundation.
The 5km walk will start at Suncoast Casino at 9am on Sunday. Its aim is during August, Organ Donor Month, to raise awareness of the dire need for organ donations .
The 18-year-old from Hillcrest had his first open-heart surgery when he was just 36 hours old. He was born with a congenital heart defect, along with pulmonary artesia, and wasn’t expected to make it through the first night.
His mother, Janet, said: “The doctors kept him alive, and he was transferred to Johannesburg to undergo surgery that would give him a fighting chance.”
And the determined Matthew has clung to that fighting chance. Since his first operation, he has had numerous others.
At the age of 13 he was placed on the transplant list for a heart and bilateral lung transplant. It was at the same time that he had to start using oxygen all day, every day.
As he was small as a 13-year-old, his chances of a heart and lung transplant were slim, but his hope has grown with him.
Janet, a volunteer for the Organ Donor Foundation, said: “As Matthew reached adulthood, his chances normally would have been better for receiving a transplant, but the situation in South Africa is so dire that many people aren’t given a second chance at life.”
The Organ Donor Foundation says that, although 500Â000 people die each year in South Africa, often fewer than 500 transplants are done annually.
Both Matthew and Janet do a huge amount of work to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donations and, although Matthew will be attending the Fun Walk, he will not be able to participate, as he tires too easily and his pulmonary artery is calcified.
“The lack of oxygen makes him incredibly tired. He loves school, but is now finding it incredibly difficult, as he is battling to focus or remember what he needs to,” said Janet.
Currently in Grade 11 at Hillcrest High School, Matthew is doing five subjects. Consumer studies are his favourite.
He often has to take a break at school but he would never consider staying at home. “Sometimes I do have to sleep during the school day, and I’m often in bed by seven at night, but I also try to get out and see friends. After my transplant, I want to get back to archery, and would love to represent South Africa at the Paralympic Games,” he said.
He was dedicated to archery until Grade 8, when he could no longer pull the bow. He is also a keen photographer, particularly of wildlife, and a huge motoring fan.
He keeps positive holding on to the thought that he will receive his heart and lungs, and sets goals to look forward to, a couple at a time.
More organ donors are needed in the province, with statistics showing KwaZulu-Natal is far behind other provinces. Last year, out of 366 solid organ transplants done in the country, only 26 were in KZN. Close to 180 cornea transplants were carried out, of which only 36 were in this province.
Registration for the Family Fun Walk can either be done online at www.odf.org.za at R80 for adults and R50 for children, or at the Sundeck at Suncoast Casino (R90 adults, R60 children) from 7 to 8.30am on Sunday. The walk starts at 9am and ends at 11am. There will be a kids’ zone for smaller children.
Independent on Saturday