22.03.2025 10:11
The life of a 27-year-old woman, who has been undergoing dialysis for 7 years in Antalya, changed completely with a phone call at 3:00 AM. A kidney donated from a deceased donor was transplanted to the young woman. She stated that her life became very difficult when her kidneys failed, saying, "I still haven't gotten used to normal life. I used to think, 'Will I be connected to a machine for the rest of my life?' I pray for the person who donated their organ to me."
Filiz Dönmez (27), who resides in the Kumluca district of Antalya, was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in 2018 when she went to the hospital with complaints of nausea and vomiting. As her condition worsened, Dönmez was hospitalized for 3 months for treatment and began dialysis when her kidneys "failed." Since her doctors indicated that she needed to be close to the hospital, Dönmez transferred to Akdeniz University as a guest student while studying in the third year of the Economics Department at Afyon Kocatepe University.
LOST HER FATHER AS A BABY AND HER MOTHER RECENTLY
Despite the challenging dialysis and hospital process, Dönmez graduated from university and started working in the public sector after passing the exam she took. She waited for a transplant for 7 years. Her mother, who underwent tests to become a donor, was diagnosed with cancer. Dönmez, who lost her father as a baby, also lost her mother to liver cancer a year ago.
A PHONE CALL CHANGED HER LIFE
When her grandfather, who volunteered to be a donor, was also diagnosed with chronic heart failure, the young woman was placed on the cadaver transplant list. Dönmez's life changed with a phone call at 3:00 AM. She was called to the Antalya Living Organ Transplant Center, where a kidney donated from a cadaver was transplanted by a team led by the center's director, Prof. Dr. Bülent Aydınlı. Grasping onto life again, Dönmez stated that her life became difficult when her kidneys "failed" and that she had to live connected to a machine.
"I STILL CAN'T GET USED TO NORMAL LIFE"
Dönmez, who stated that she completed her university education despite health issues, continued: "I never expected an organ would come out one day. They called me at 3:00 AM. There were three other patients, and I was compatible. I had gotten so used to dialysis for seven years that I was checking which day I would go for dialysis after the transplant. I was anxious that I forgot my medication that I used during meals while on dialysis. When I have a program scheduled for a later date, I check if I have dialysis that day. Because that had become my normal. I still can't get used to normal life. I used to think, 'Will I be connected to a machine for life?' but my whole life changed with the phone call at night. Living connected to dialysis is hard. I pray for the person who donated their organ to me. The greatest virtue is that you change a person's life, saving them from being connected to a machine."
"HAS NOT URINATED FOR A LONG TIME, ALMOST FORGOTTEN"
Prof. Dr. Bülent Aydınlı stated that there are over 30,000 patients waiting for organ donations and that donations are crucial for new lives. Aydınlı explained that they transplanted the kidney donated from a person who had suffered brain death to Filiz Dönmez, saying, "The operation was successful, and the kidney functions returned to the normal levels of healthy individuals. She keeps saying, 'I need to go for dialysis.' We couldn't convince her that she wouldn't need to go for dialysis anymore. She hasn't urinated for a very long time and couldn't accept this as normal. She has almost forgotten. Our patient has returned to her normal life with the transplant."