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DJ promotes kidney donation - 12th September 2022

DJ Ace wants more people to understand live organ donation. In 2018, he had kidney failure and needed a new kidney. He waited three years for a donor to give him a kidney. Doctors told him he could wait 3 to 6 years for a transplant because of his ethnicity. White patients have a wait time of just one year to receive a new kidney.

Black and Asian patients have to wait longer for various reasons like lack of understanding and cultural beliefs. People from Black and Asian communities are more likely to get certain illnesses that need transplants. At the same time, fewer members of those communities want to donate organs.

Some organs can only be donated once the donor has died. However, you can donate a kidney while you are alive. Donors must match the patient's blood type and ethnicity. Naomi Thomas decided to donate her kidney through the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) after learning of live donations. She shares a similar ethnic background and blood type to DJ Ace. She was able to donate her kidney to him.

DJ Ace is using his fame to educate more people, especially those from different ethnic minorities, about kidney donation.