Latest update April 11th, 2025 9:20 AM
Mom undergoes second kidney transplant after nephew donates organ
By Feona Morrison
Her family and friends rallied behind her when she was in desperate need of a second kidney transplant.
And now 39-year-old Reena Sultan is recovering after returning home in March from Bangladore, India, where she underwent a successful kidney transplant. This is her second kidney transplant in a decade.
Back in 2007, after experiencing kidney failure, she had travelled to India where she did her first kidney transplant. Then, it was her brother, Richard Kissoon, who had donated the organ. However, that kidney began to fail last year. It was then that doctors told Sultan she needed another kidney transplant to save her life. She knew that this devastating news meant difficult times ahead but she continued to stay strong.
This untimely setback led to Sultan having to undergo dialysis—a treatment which purifies the blood and removes waste products from the body—thrice weekly at the Doobay Medical Centre.
But this, she disclosed, is a very costly procedure.
Fazil Sultan with his wife Reena
According to Sultan, her nephew Rayad Alli had already volunteered to be the organ donor for her second kidney transplant. She said that the only difficulty she faced was garnering money to fund the surgery and other expenses. After several pleas to the public for assistance, she was able to raise the money which amounted to millions and departed in November of last year for India, where she spent almost four months.
“I want to thank my nephew for saving my life. Without him I would not have been alive today. He saw my condition in the hospital and began to cry. He was holding my hands. I was in the ICU and doctors could not have found a heartbeat on me. My lungs were flooded with water.”
The woman also expressed gratitude to her husband, Fazil Sultan, who she said has been with her every step of the way. She recalled that there were many times she woke up and saw her husband sitting at her bedside while she was hospitalized.
“I am glad to be back home with my son. While me and my husband were in India he (her son) had to stay with his grandmother.”
Reena Sultan (lying) is comforted by her nephew and another relative
Further she added that she is also glad to be back at home since she now has the privileged of doing things on her own. But although her transplant was a success, she still has to go for regular check-ups at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. Reena has also extended thanks to her neighbours and relatives and friends who she said lent her financial and emotional support during her time of need.
She is also grateful to the following persons, institutions and businesses: The Ministry of Public Health, Prem Electrical, Sterling Products Limited, Central Islamic Organization of Guyana (CIOG), Stock Field, Doobay Medical Centre, Candy Corner, Woodlands Hospital, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ali and Sons, Ameena Gafoor, Robert Badal and others, too numerous, to mention.
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