Ray had a kidney transplant

Ray is a Miriam Mer man, from Murray Island in the Torres Strait and the lands of the Malak Malak people of the Daly River area. He was shocked when doctors diagnosed him with end stage kidney disease and said he needed to undergo renal dialysis, until a matching kidney could be found for a transplant.

‘Dialysis is not a very nice process, but unfortunately you have to do it – there is no other choice,’ Ray said.

Ray waited longer than most for his donor kidney – over 5 years. Thankfully after a few false starts, Ray finally received his long-awaited transplant phone call. It was a surreal moment he remembers well.

‘I can’t thank that generous family enough for what it’s meant to my health and my family,’ he said.  

Ray now volunteers to help other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people address barriers to accessing dialysis and transplantation, and to encourage them to register as donors.

‘Culturally, our mob has been a little hesitant to register as donors. But with so many people needing a life-saving transplant and so many Indigenous people on the waitlist, it’s time that we really had a think about this,’ he said.

‘This transplant allows me to live longer, spend time with my grandchildren and it’s definitely given me a second chance at life.’