Donating her kidney to a total stranger

Dec 3, 2019

If you have an impulse to kindness, act on it. That’s what 29-year-old Tshering Choden from Pema Gatshel did. Without giving a second thought, she donated one of her kidneys to save someone’s life. Interestingly, that someone is a total stranger.

On 2nd May this year, the Bhutan Kidney Foundation received a message via Facebook. It was Tshering Choden who wanted to donate one of her kidneys to someone in need. The foundation then immediately managed to match the patient and the donor.

Of many kidney patients, 25-Year-old Pema Cheki from Tashi Yangtse was the lucky one to be the recipient. She has been undergoing dialysis therapy for 11 years at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. She is one of the recipients of Kidu support at the Kidu Patient Guest House in Thimphu.

The kidney transplant was done last month at the Rabindranath Tagore Hospital in Kolkata.

“At first, I thought she was joking. She said she wants to donate her kidney and asked me for suggestions. And again after one week, she asked me the same thing. She said what if we could save at least one child. I said I have no objection and it’s a rare thing,” said Tenzin Wangda, the husband of the donor.

Tshering Choden, a mother of one, is from Nanong Gewog in Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag. Currently, she and her husband are running a Passang Cement Distributor based in Gelegphu. According to her, helping people in need should be a trend in this country:

“People have different aims. It was always my aim to save at least one person. The reason why I want to help is, I want the person whom I help to lend a hand to other people in return. And I want this to be the trend in the country. Kidney failure in the country is increasing every year but helping these people is very rare. In future, I hope by setting me as an example, people will help those people in need.”

The transplant was a success and both the women have recovered.

Pema Seldon Tshering