JEDDAH: It is said a friend in need is a friend indeed. Hasan Mohammed Majrabi, 48, a teacher at Al-Rokobah Elementary School in the southern governorate of Samitta, Jazan, proved to be a true friend by donating one of his kidneys to an old friend’s ailing son.
“I and Ali, the boy’s father, have been friends since we were university students. I knew that the father and two of his children were suffering from kidney problems. It so happened that his 13-year-old son was diagnosed with an end-stage renal disease, and he was in need of a kidney transplant,” Majrabi said.
He did not wait to see his friend’s family suffer before seeking his doctor’s advice and getting the go-ahead.
“When I talked to my friend about my intention to donate my kidney to his son, Ahmed, the man insisted that I think again as it was not an easy thing. I repeated my desire to donate and I assured him that it was something for the sake of Allah, saving someone’s life,” Majrabi told Arab News. Eventually, his friend agreed.
“The donation journey started with some medical checks, such as tissue typing and crossmatch, at the Prince Sultan Medical Military City. The tests also showed that my health status, as a donor, would help me undergo the medical procedure,” Majrabi added, stating that the motive behind the donation was totally humane, and that people should always help each other.
I repeated my desire to donate … it was something for the sake of Allah, saving someone’s life.
Mohammed Majrabi
“Islam has urged all Muslims to be like one body. Our prophet has said that believers are like a building whose different parts re-enforce each other. I also look for Allah’s reward,” he said.
Majrabi pointed out that, having discussed the matter with his doctor before the surgery and being told that a person could live a normal life with one kidney, he was determined to make the donation and he only told his mother, his wife and three of his brothers about his decision.
“The child’s uncle attended and signed the donation papers on behalf of the father, who has traveled to the US with his ill daughter,” he said.
Majrabi concluded that his happiness was indescribable after he left the operating theater knowing that the medical procedure was a success.
“I was delighted to come to know that the son’s renal system was back to normal, and his health condition was stable. I can’t describe my feeling at that moment,” he said.
