A message to the people of Bermuda from dialysis nurse Marianne Herbert, who is the Island's kidney transplant co-ordinator.

"Receiving a kidney transplant can really change a person's life.

"Even though most people receiving dialysis lead relatively normal lives and feel well, treatments are three to four hours long and are usually done three times a week.

"Some of the patients who would be suitable candidates for transplant prefer to stay on dialysis as they feel very comfortable with dialysis as their best treatment option.

"Many of these people and many of our older patients enjoy the social aspect of being with other people during their treatments.

"However, several of our younger dialysis patients have full-time jobs and so have their treatments either very early in the morning (5 a.m.) or after they leave work in the evening.

"If you imagine that sort of schedule, as well as looking after a home and bringing up children, you can see why a kidney transplant can be a tremendous asset.

"By eliminating the need for nine to 12 hours of dialysis treatments each week, it gives much greater freedom. This is also a big advantage when travelling overseas, as for people on dialysis, travel is limited to where dialysis treatments are available.

"After transplant, people usually have a lot of energy and feel very well. Although there are still a few dietary restrictions, they can enjoy many of the foods which are restricted on dialysis because of their high potassium content.

`'These include many foods which are normally considered to be healthy foods. For a person on dialysis, too many fruits and vegetables can be very dangerous. It could even prove fatal.

"Fluid intake is no longer limited either. Most people in kidney failure pass no urine, so everything they drink stays in their bodies until it's removed by dialysis. "During this week of organ donor awareness in The Royal Gazette, many of our kidney transplant recipients wanted to acknowledge the part that their organ donors have played in their lives by sharing their stories with the public.

"I know how grateful they feel for the gift they have been given, especially as there is a shortage of organs for donation and people can be waiting for several years before an organ becomes available.

"When a call comes to say that a kidney is available from a cadaver donor, it can be a time of very mixed emotions for the person waiting for a transplant.

"The prospect of a better life is exciting, but at the same time, there may be a feeling of sadness that a family somewhere has lost a loved one. At this time, we have to stay focussed on the positive aspects of the situation and can only hope that the decision to donate organs and help so many people can give the family of the deceased person some comfort at such a difficult time.

"As one of our kidney transplant recipients so aptly put it: `Not a day goes by when I am not grateful to my donor'."