Daughter donates kidney to mother on birthday to save her from dialysis and says organ is her ‘birthday present forever’

A daughter who donated one of her kidneys to her mother on her birthday to save her from long-term dialysis treatment has said the organ is “her birthday present forever” and they celebrate the “kidney-versary” every year.

Dishna Hirani, 45, who lives in Wembley, London, said her mother Prevanda Varshani, 67, had been under the care of a kidney consultant for as long as she can remember, most likely around two decades.

However, in 2017, the consultant told them that Prevanda’s kidney function had started to deteriorate rapidly and she would need to go on the transplant list or face dialysis treatment, which was a “shock”.

When Dishna learned family members could be living donors, she “didn’t have any hesitation” in volunteering to donate her kidney and decided to get tested.

After learning she was a “good match”, two dates were offered for the transplant and, “by pure chance”, one of them turned out to be Prevanda’s birthday on October 31 2018, which Dishna said “felt right”.

The surgeries were successful that day – although Dishna experienced some complications – and Prevanda is now healthier than ever and has a “new lease of life”, making the whole experience “worthwhile”.

Since the “life-changing” transplant, every year on October 31, which is also Halloween, the family celebrates Prevanda’s birthday and “kidney-versary” with a new tradition by saying “happy kidney birthday”.

Dishna told PA Real Life: “They gave me a couple of dates for the transplant and I was turning 40 in the November, two weeks after the surgery, so I thought, ‘Let’s pick mum’s birthday’.

“It felt right, and that might sound crazy because who would want to have surgery on their birthday, but that’s her birthday present forever.

“She’s got the best birthday gift anyone could ever get.”

Prevanda added: “My new kidney has given me a new lease of life.”

Dishna, who lives with her husband Mehul, 45, and two children Rushil, 19, and Dhiyan, 17, explained that her mother Prevanda had been under the care of a kidney consultant for several years.

She would go for regular check-ups at Central Middlesex Hospital as her kidney function was “lower than normal”, but she did not require treatment.

It was only in 2017 that Prevanda was told her kidney function was declining rapidly and she would need to go on the transplant list – and “that is when it hit home”.

“I was with her when she saw the consultant and I remember it clearly,” Dishna said.

“They said, ‘Your functionality is declining and you’re going to need to have a transplant’, and I just remember her face – she was in complete shock.”

During this meeting, Dishna said they were told of the different types of dialysis – treatment to remove extra fluid and waste when kidneys fail – and that family members or friends can be living donors.

Given Prevanda is of Asian ethnicity, and NHS Blood and Transplant says there is a significant need for more organ donors of Black and Asian heritage to help the growing number of patients from these backgrounds, Dishna knew she wanted to volunteer as a donor as this could help prevent potentially long wait times on the transplant list.

“On the way home, I told my mum that I’d look into donating to her,” Dishna said.

“At first she was very hesitant… and she was concerned about taking something as important as an organ from her daughter. In our community, that isn’t how things are normally done.

“But I stayed very headstrong. This was something I wanted to do. It was my body and I wanted to do this for her.”

Dishna spoke with her husband, who was “super supportive”, and close family members, and she underwent tests at Hammersmith Hospital to see whether she could donate.

The results showed that Dishna was a “good match” and she said she was “elated”.

“I still remember getting that phone call. I just thought, ‘Wow, this is brilliant news’,” she said.

Dishna said her mother had “mixed emotions” as she did not want to take from her child – and she experienced differing opinions from those in the Hindu community.

She said it is not against their religion to donate organs, but there is a lack of knowledge and education around the subject – and she wants to change this and raise more awareness.

“Our faith tells us that we should be giving and charitable, including donating blood if we’re able, but when it comes to organs, people have a lot of opinions,” Dishna said.

“We want people to be more aware of living kidney donation and realise that it’s not a bad thing at all, it doesn’t deserve the stigma.”

Dishna underwent further testing to ensure she was “fit and healthy” to donate, and two dates for the transplant were offered, including Prevanda’s birthday on October 31 2018.

They chose this date, thinking, “what are the chances?”, and Dishna was able to see her mother before they both had their surgeries.

“I was able to see my mum in the morning and say ‘happy birthday’ before I went under, so that was brilliant,” Dishna said.

“It was really weird but I wasn’t apprehensive at all. I just thought, ‘This is it, I’m going to give mum my kidney and hopefully all goes well’.”

Dishna did experience complications during surgery, meaning it took longer than expected, but the transplant was successful – and soon after, Dishna’s husband noted that Prevanda’s “colour had changed”.

It took around four months for Dishna to recover fully from surgery but she quickly noticed the “huge difference” in her mother’s health and energy levels.

Previously, Prevanda would get tired very quickly doing minor tasks, such as walking, but now, even though she takes medications every day, she has her “zest for life back”, she can spend more time with her grandchildren, and she has been saved from needing dialysis treatment.

“It makes going through all that pain after the surgery worthwhile,” Dishna said.

“It has changed my mum’s life dramatically for the better. My short-term pain for her immense long-term gain.”

Dishna, who has been supported by charities Kidney Research UK and Give a Kidney, would advise anyone considering donating to do their research and she hopes she can encourage others to become organ donors.

“My mum has been given a new lease of life and I’m just super happy that I was able to make that happen for her,” Dishna said.

“She’s a new woman, she’s not tied down to dialysis, she’s not tied down to anything. She can go about her life as normal and do what she wants without having a huge impact on her life.

“It’s the best feeling ever being able to give my mum the gift of life.”

Dishna is sharing her experiences in support of the Make Your Mark campaign, delivered by the Robert Dangoor Partnership for Living Kidney Donation, which aims to raise awareness of living kidney donation and offer support for people like Dishna considering donating.

For more information, visit: donateakidney.co.uk.