Durban - When Sheila Delomoney heard that her brother's kidneys were failing 40 years ago, she was the first to volunteer her kidney.
Decades later and Delomoney, 71, said she would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Her brother, Phillip Rajendra Naiker, now 67, is living what he calls his best life and he cannot be more grateful.
Since the transplant, on December 11, 1980, both siblings have travelled the world, had more children and grandchildren.
Later this year, both siblings and their families will celebrate the 40th anniversary since the transplant with a getaway to the Drakensberg. Naiker sobbed as he recalled the day his sister said she would give him her kidney. He was 27 and Delomoney was 34.
"I was sitting on the bed crying and my sister walked into the room. I told her that the doctors had said that I was going into kidney failure. She said to me, 'Don't worry brother, I will donate my kidney to you.’"
He said the issue with his kidneys began in 1974 soon after he married Jayalutchmee. He began having back pains.
Naiker went to McCord Hospital and he was diagnosed with kidney stones, which were removed in an operation. For the next four years he was well, and he and his wife had their first child.
In 1980, during a routine check-up, his blood pressure was high.
"The doctor told me that I was a walking time bomb. He said my pressure was so high that I needed to be admitted."
He was admitted to St Augustine's Hospital.
"My dad was admitted to the same hospital for a mild heart attack and he was surprised to see me. I was examined and then transferred to King Edward VIII Hospital."
He was told that his kidneys were failing and he was transferred, yet again, to the Addington Hospital.
"It was the only hospital that treated patients with kidney failure."
Naiker underwent peritoneal dialysis to remove waste products from the blood, a procedure carried out when a person's kidneys cannot remove the waste adequately. It is done by inserting a catheter into the belly.
"The doctors asked me how many siblings I had and I was told to call them to see who would be a match for a kidney transplant."
His seven siblings were tested and Delomoney and his two younger brothers, Wesley and Eric, were compatible.
Delomoney volunteered.
"Her husband, Lutchman, did not object and that was the turning point for me. Both my sister and my brother-in-law saved my life."
Naiker and Delamoney underwent a few more tests before the transplant. In December 1980, they travelled to the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town and underwent a nine-hour procedure.
"My sister was taken to theatre first and the kidney was transferred. We did not see each other for a few days as we were kept in isolation. After two weeks we returned to Durban."
Delomoney went home but Naiker remained in hospital for a month and he thereafter resumed work in construction.
"From that time, I have been healthy and strong - apart from minor pains."
In 1990, he was transferred to work in Joburg and he and his wife had two more children. He undergoes monthly checks and is not on chronic medication.
Naiker said that his sister was loving and kind.
"If it wasn't for you (Sheila) and mama (Lutchman), I would not have made it to this age. Now I have three kids and four grandchildren."
She said she never regretted her decision.
"I remember returning from the cinema that day and seeing him in the hospital in agony. It was never a question for me. He was my brother and he needed my help. He is precious to me and I would do anything for him."
Delomoney had three children, aged 12, 7 and 3, at the time.
Her only regret was that her husband, who died earlier this year, would not be around to commemorate the anniversary of the transplant.
The Post