COULD YOU SAVE THEIR LIVES?
As 19-25 September marks Organ Donation Week, two mums share their stories about their children who are on the transplant list
‘I live in hope’
Karen Bahia, 34, lives in Coventry with her three-year-old son Harvey, and her parents Jusber, 59, and Paramjit, 61. Holding my newborn in my arms,
I felt terrified. It was January 2019, and Harvey had been diagnosed with kidney failure. At my 20-week scan, doctors had warned his kidneys were growing at an alarming rate. I’d been advised to have an abortion, but I’d been adamant. ‘I want to give him a chance,’ I’d said.
In the womb, he was diagnosed with posterior urethral valves, a condition found in boys that meant there was a blockage in the urethra. As he’d grown, his bladder had expanded, causing severe pressure on his kidneys.
Harvey was born at 37 weeks, but the future was uncertain. After two days, he was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where the blockage was removed, but he was too small for dialysis.
FREQUENT INFECTIONS
Three weeks later, he came home.
I was taught how to administer his medication, but we spent the next year in and out of hospital as he had frequent urine infections. I became his full-time carer, and moved in with my parents.
Harvey passed urine through a hole in his tummy because of the damage to his bladder, and in June 2020 a permanent feeding tube was
attached. In January 2021,
Harvey was put on the transplant list. It was scary, but it gave us hope. And the waiting game began… He started dialysis in the May. It was heartbreaking seeing him hooked up to machinery, and the infections continued. In January 2022, we celebrated his third birthday in hospital, and I launched a fundraiser, raising £6,000 for toys and equipment for the children’s ward.
Sadly, I can’t give Harvey my kidney as I have a chronic illness, and no other family member is a match. I live in hope of finding a donor, but he will likely need more than one transplant, as a transplanted kidney can last anything from one year to 10 or more.
Harvey continues to have dialysis three times a week in hospital. It’s how his life has always been, so he knows no different. His development is slightly
‘HARVEY HAS DIALYSIS THREE TIMES A WEEK’
delayed and he’s unable to walk, but special moments, like when he says ‘Mama’, melt my heart.
OTHER PARENTS
Hospital staff adore him and, for me, it’s a comfort being surrounded by parents of others who are also on the transplant list.
I hope Harvey’s story encourages more people to be organ donors. In particular, there is a shortage of Asian and black donors, even more so among children.
All I want is for Harvey to have a chance at life out of hospital.
✣ Follow Harvey’s journey on Instagram @harveer_singh_kang