17-year-old Akash Suryavansi, from Leeds was told that the donated kidney from his mother was failing and he would have to wait several years for a new one.
The average wait for a kidney transplant in Yorkshire is 1,114 days but due to the shortage of registered organ donors from the Asian community, Akash may have to wait longer.
Akash was born with polycystic kidney disease and became severely ill in 2004. He was in the transplant waiting list for 6 years until his mother was found to be a suitable live donor for him. However, the kidney is now failing him.
His mother, Tina Suryavansi (46) said, “We were devastated to get the news. We have always known it would be around the corner one day and have always said to ourselves, ‘a little bit more time. Having been through what we have been through, we have lost a bit of faith. We were still waiting six years, I gave him my kidney and I haven’t got another to give him.”
She has requested people to register on the donors list. “You will save a life. That’s the difference you will make. One person can change nine lives and it’s the gift of life – that’s what we are giving, that’s how I see registering.”
