Bloemfontein – In a rare stroke of luck, an ailing soldier in desperate need of a kidney transplant received the special gift from his wife and is now recovering at home.
After battling kidney disease for more than five years, Soldier Thabo Michael Mvalo has finally received the lifesaving gift of a new kidney and is now recovering from his transplant.
The 32-year-old – who is employed at the military base in Kimberley – underwent a very successful transplant surgery at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein on Thursday, (26 October 2023).
Mvalo has since been discharged from the facility after he had been hospitalised for about 10 days.
“I’m currently at home with my family. And I’m fighting fit after receiving a life-saving kidney. I’m happy the transplant was successful,” said Mvalo.
“It’s only a couple of days since the operation, and I’m already able to do some exercises. I’m doing fantastically now. I don’t feel any pain.”
Mvalo thanked the “magnificent person” who donated her organ to him, saying that she had given him a gift of life.
Mvalo was desperate for a donor to come through for him when miraculously, his wife – Judith – was a match for him.
She bravely agreed to make the life-changing decision to be a living organ donor.
“My wife is an angel. She is so amazing. She gave me the ultimate gift of life. I am incredibly blessed. I love her to the moon and beyond,” Mvalo said.
“To be honest, I was extremely delighted when my wife took a decision to give me her kidney.
“She was so brave to donate it as initially my blood brother had agreed to donate his kidney to me.
“He was a perfect match. He passed all the tests he had but the last one”.
“So, that’s when Judith decided to give me her organ.”
Mvalo further said that he thanked the Free State Department of Health and the doctors as well as the nurses at Universitas Academic Hospital “for the good work that they are doing there”.
The fit-again Mvalo had been suffering from kidney failure since 2018 and was facing a lifetime of dialysis treatment until surgeons performed a transplant almost two weeks ago.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to publicly thank Dr. (Feziwe) Bisiwe and the incredible multidisciplinary team of doctors who worked with her during the entire process. They did a marvelous job prior to and post-surgery.
“The nursing personnel at Universitas Academic Hospital were also amazing. I want to say a huge thank you to them as well.
“Lastly, I want to thank all my colleagues in the military; my family and friends. They have been with me through thick and thin,” he said.
The Mokopane-born father of two children – a boy aged 7 and a girl aged 2 – revealed that he was diagnosed with renal failure in 2018.
“I was absolutely fine and healthy until the day I fell to the ground while at work. Then I was rushed to the hospital where I was diagnosed with kidney failure.
“The doctors told me that both my kidneys had stopped functioning. My life had never been the same since that fateful day.
“I had been in and out of hospital for dialysis before the operation. But a transplant operation has changed my life indeed. I’m living a normal life again.” Mvalo concluded.
Speaking exclusively to The Bulrushes about the extraordinary gift she gave her hubby, Judith said: “I feel overwhelmed by the whole situation”.
Recalling how her husband’s illness affected her family, Judith said: “Our lives changed completely because our focus was now shifted to my husband’s illness and dialysis being the leader of it all”.
The close couple who have known each other for 10 years confronted the illness together and even checked if they were a match for a possible donor transplant.
The tests came back positive – the couple was a match.
“I couldn’t believe it myself, but always hoped that I become a match,” said Judith.
The mother of two – a two-year-old baby girl and a seven-year-old boy – said: “It was not easy at all… hence I decided to donate for him”.
Now that the worst is over, Judith said she is looking forward to the future.
“Our future… plans from here we want to write a book to inspire people about our story and also encourage them to donate,” said Judith.
“And we want to spend quality time fully with our kids and family, and go on vacations since that was a challenge due to dialysis.”
