Futile wait for donor lungs

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: C. Mariyaee and Efarizan Shah Malek. Remember their names well. They were lung disease patients on the transplant waiting list who passed away on Thursday and yesterday respectively, because of the lack of organ donors.
It is likely that they could have survived had the relatives of those who had just died, or were brain dead, allowed the lungs to be harvested for transplants.
The same could have been expected for the 10 others on the list who have died since 2003.
Efarizan, 30, had appealed publicly for a donor but no one came to help her.
The lungs of many who perished daily in accidents or from terminal illnesses could have saved her life.
But it was not to be for Efarizan, who died at the Putrajaya Hospital of a rare lung condition called lymphangioleiomyomatosis or LAM.
The Institut Baitumal officer left behind a 11-month-old son, Danish Qayyim El-Fadzrul, who will never get to know his mother.
Right up to the end, she had harboured hopes of hospital authorities identifying a donor so that she could raise her infant son.
However, the muscle cells that invaded the tissues of her lungs, eventually blocked off the flow of oxygen to the rest of the body.
Efarizan’s case was almost similar to that of C. Mariyaee, 45, who succumbed last Thursday to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which ravaged her lungs.
The housewife from Selayang fervently prayed for a donor until her last days but to no avail.
There are 10 patients now on the lung transplant list. This number is expected to rise to 15 by the end of the year.
Do not let them wait needlessly and share the fate of Efarizan or Mariyaee.
Right now, they have a very good chance of surviving if lungs are available soon for transplant.
Institute of Respiratory Medicine (IPR) Kuala Lumpur consultant respiratory physician Dr Azhari Yunus said some on the list had waited for more than three years for a donor.
“Ten have died since 2003, and if no donors come, I don’t know what the fate of those on the waiting list will be. I appeal to Malaysians to please donate the organs of their next of kin who are brain dead.
“This good deed will surely save the lives of those on the waiting list.”
He said many with chronic lung diseases and lung problems were seeking help at the IPR because of awareness created by the media.
“Controlling and preventing lung disease needs everybody’s attention. Recognise the symptoms of lung disease and get immediate medical attention,” he said.
He advised smokers to quit smoking, which was the best protection for the lungs.
“Those who have a chronic cough, shortness of breath and other ailments of the lungs should seek immediate medical help.”
Dr Azhari said lung problems developed from the inhalation of second-hand cigarette smoke, air pollution and hazards at work.