In his program Legend, broadcast on YouTube or in Podcast, Guillaume Pley gives body to powerful testimonies. His program of July 18 thus gave the floor to Karim Boudjema, a Franco-Algerian surgeon specializing in transplants. A “laying” as he presents, which was able to keep the audience in turn with amazing stories. In particular that of a woman who, in her divorce, wanted to recover what belonged to her.
He wants to divorce, she wants to resume her kidney
“Have you ever had couples, one of which gives an organ to another, a piece of liver for example. And who separate, and who are getting on this subject?” wonders the host. “”It can happen, yes “ confirms the surgeon. “”There is like that a story that drags in literature, I did not live it personally. It was a lady who had given a kidney to her husband, who was in renal insufficiency. But the grafted man quickly felt much better. He fell in love with someone else. He asked for divorce, and the woman said ‘very well but you give me my kidney’ “ he sums up.
Karim Boudjema is undoubtedly here reference to the history of Samantha Lamb, an Englishwoman who indeed hit the headlines in 2014 and pleaded his cause in the British press. 5 years earlier, she had given a kidney to her husband, very sick. But the years passing, the couple drinks the cup and decided to separate in 2013. It was then that Samantha accuses her husband of having been unfaithful and protested against what she sacrificed. When split their property in two, she also claims what belongs to her and that she no longer wants to share: her kidney.
“”I hate him. If I could, I would return to the operating table and I would give the kidney to someone else “ she said then.
Giving is to give … a transplant is not a bargain
Fortunately, we do not adjust a transplant as we divide property. “”But the stories of transplants between living can cause problems “ confirms the surgeon interviewed. “So much so that when you want to give, between adults, part of your kidney, you still pass before the public prosecutor”. He is not wrong. In France, in particular, the transplant between living (9% of total transplants) is based on a very precise framework, just to avoid any pressure.
First, the donation of a kidney or a liver lobe cannot be anonymous or completely disinterested: the donor must imperatively designate a recipient belonging to his entourage.
The law authorizes this gift between relatives: parents (father, mother), children (under derogation), brothers and sisters, spouse, grandparents, uncles, aunts, German cousins, germinal cousins, as well as the spouse of the father or the mother.
Can also give:
- Anyone living under the same roof as the recipient for at least two years;
- Anyone can prove a stable and close emotional bond with the recipient for at least two years.
The donation is based on a free principle
After a complete assessment to ensure compatibility and lack of risk for the donor and for the recipient, the donation can be envisaged. But beware, the candidate for the gift must express his consent before the president of the tribunal de grande instance.
According to the law, the latter ensures that consent is “free and enlightened and that the donation is in accordance with the conditions of the law”. The donor can come back to his decision at any time and by any means … “before” the transplant. For kidney donation, the donor’s candidacy is also subject to the authorization of a living donor committee. These committees are independent and have been created to strengthen the protection of donors from an ethical point of view. He also ensures that the living donor is free to decision.
On the other hand,, The donation is based on a free principle. No compensation is provided, but a principle of financial neutrality provides for the costs incurred for donation by the donor and the people who accompany them.
Could such a case be created in France? “”In France, never. Never. It does not sell “ concludes the surgeon. Even to repair a broken heart.