Two-time kidney transplant recipient
A doctor’s visit for a sore leg led Somil Gandhi on a journey he couldn’t have imagined, but one which has left him forever grateful to his loved ones and a child stranger.
When he was 16, the 40-year-old business owner from the Bay Area in California saw a doctor for persistent leg pain. An avid soccer player, Somil says having a sore leg didn’t seem like a serious issue. Painkillers were suggested, but, almost on a hunch, the doctor ordered a blood test. It revealed kidney disease.
“It was just a shock. I was immediately placed on dialysis. My kidney function was pretty much nonexistent.”
He was placed on dialysis. Being hooked up to a machine to remove toxins several times a week threatened to take the healthy teen’s life in a new direction. But it would soon end.
His mother turned out to be a perfect match as living kidney donor.
“Parents are that way. Mom said yes right away. She and my father saw that their son was in trouble.”
With her gift, her son completed college and began his life free of any health issues. That would last for 17 years. But then, once again, he faced kidney failure.
“My mother’s kidney was such a great match; I thought it would last forever.”
This time, his name would go on the national kidney transplant waiting list. It remained there for four and a half years. As Somil watched his kidney function decline, the day he would have to return to dialysis again loomed. That was until August, 2008.
“Then low and behold, I got the call that a kidney had become available. At first, you just don’t believe it. And they ask if you are still interested in getting a transplant, and you answer, ‘Of course!’”
Just as a gift from his mother allowed him to go to college and start a career, this gift of another kidney – this time from the family of an eight year old boy – meant a dialysis-free life as a husband and father of two children, one just seven months old.
“I am eternally grateful. So thankful for the family that made this decision at such a devastating time. I pray for his family every single day.”
Today, with more than 100,000 people on the national waiting list for organs, Somil helps spread the word about donation as a volunteer for the California Transplant Donor Network and within the Asian-Indian community. He is a “DMV Ambassador” to the Redwood City office, helping DMV staff with information about organ and issue donation.
“My religion allows for donation, as do many of world’s major religions. Everyone should become a registered organ donor. You can make such a difference in people’s lives.”