90-yr-old woman possibly Singapore's longest & oldest surviving kidney donor
By Wang Eng Eng, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 14 November 2009 2027 hrs

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SINGAPORE: A 90-year-old woman is possibly Singapore's longest and oldest surviving kidney donor.

Madam Woon Peck Jee was among 130 donors who were honoured at an appreciation ceremony organised by the Society of Transplantation on Saturday.

Madam Woon donated her kidney to her son 35 years ago. She is now 90 and still going strong.

Although her son has since passed away, her act inspired her other son, Mr Tan See Koon, to donate his kidney to his wife in 2005.

Mr Tan said: "Donation from a live person provides you with the best option, gives you the best chance of surviving for a much longer period and also less complications. Also, the risk to myself is minimised as well, based on my own experience."

One kidney recipient Vincent Yeo said that within six months of his transplant, he could jog slowly. He received his kidney from his brother in 1994 when he was 46 years old. He has since gone on to take part in the 17th World Transplant Games, winning medals in badminton, squash and table tennis.

Mr Yeo said: "I was very active before the transplant but now I realise that I can still do the games, not as rigorously, but I can still do what I was doing before."

Every year, nearly 800 Singaporeans and permanent residents start dialysis for kidney failure. 70 percent of them are suited for kidney transplant but only some 30 patients will get a living donor transplant.

There have been efforts to increase the number of transplants through measures like reimbursing living donors under the amended Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA).

However, Professor A Vathsala feels that the motivation to donate to a loved one does not depend on the amount of reimbursement.

Prof Vathsala, president of the Society of Transplantation, said: "Their (donors) entire reward comes from seeing their loved ones do well after a transplant, and they know that they have made a difference in their loved one's life."

500 people are currently on the waiting list to receive a kidney transplant and the average waiting time is about 9 years.

- CNA/ir