Wife's kidney donation frees husband from years of illness: 'I don't want him to spend his life on a dialysis machine'

A Singaporean woman donated one of her kidneys to her husband after his kidney function deteriorated.

That gave him a chance to return to a more normal life after years of battling kidney disease.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Lin Simei, 39, said she volunteered to be tested for kidney donation after learning that her father-in-law and brother-in-law were unsuitable donors.

"I don't want him to spend the rest of his life on a dialysis machine. I only hope that my other half can have a better quality of life and that he can be there for our children as they grow up," she said of her husband.

Simei had recently given birth to the couple's second child when she decided to donate her kidney.

The couple subsequently underwent a kidney transplant at Singapore General Hospital in October last year, after medical assessments confirmed that they were a suitable match.

Simei's husband, Lin Zewei, 43, told the Chinese daily that he was diagnosed with kidney disease as a teenager, with his kidney function deteriorating rapidly towards the end of 2023 before he began dialysis in 2024.

Recalling the challenges of treatment, he said he often had to leave work early to attend dialysis sessions, which typically ended at about 9pm.

"I was tired and hungry, and I couldn't see my child," he said.

Transplant allows father of two to resume family life

A year after the transplant, Zewei said he had been able to resume his daily routine and spend more time with the couple's two young children.

The couple also received financial assistance through the National Kidney Foundation's Living Kidney Donation Assistance Fund and government subsidies, including coverage under MediShield Life, which helped ease the financial burden of treatment.

Reflecting on the decision to donate her kidney, Simei said she had considered the risks as both a mother and a wife.

"Once we decided not to speculate about what would happen in the future, the choices we had in the present became incredibly clear," she said.

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

一名新加坡女子在丈夫肾功能恶化后捐献了自己的一个肾脏给他。

这让他有机会在与肾病抗争多年后回归正常生活。

39岁的林思梅在接受《新明日报》采访时表示，得知公公和小叔子都不适合捐肾后，她自愿接受肾脏捐献测试。

“我不想让他余生都靠透析机度过。我只希望我的另一半能拥有更好的生活质量，并且能够在孩子们成长过程中陪伴在他们身边，”她谈到丈夫时说道。

西梅刚生下这对夫妇的第二个孩子不久，就决定捐献自己的肾脏。

去年10月，在医学评估确认两人肾源匹配后，这对夫妇在新加坡中央医院接受了肾移植手术。

西梅的丈夫林泽伟（43岁）告诉这家中国日报，他十几岁时被诊断出患有肾病，肾功能在2023年底迅速恶化，并在2024年开始接受透析治疗。

回忆起治疗的种种挑战，他说他经常不得不提前下班去接受透析治疗，透析治疗通常在晚上 9 点左右结束。

“我又累又饿，而且见不到我的孩子，”他说。

移植手术让这位有两个孩子的父亲重拾家庭生活

移植手术一年后，泽伟表示他已经能够恢复日常生活，并有更多时间陪伴他和妻子的两个年幼的孩子。

这对夫妇还通过国家肾脏基金会的活体肾脏捐赠援助基金和政府补贴获得了经济援助，包括终身健保计划的保障，这有助于减轻治疗的经济负担。

西梅在反思捐肾的决定时说，她作为母亲和妻子都考虑过其中的风险。

“一旦我们决定不再猜测未来会发生什么，我们现在所面临的选择就变得非常清晰了，”她说。

邢莹.koh@asiaone.com