Amrit Paul was in the middle of his computer science exams when he was told by doctors he would need a kidney transplant.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0It was a shock. I didn’t really know how to handle it and, in all honesty, I went into a shell,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
He was placed on the organ donation register almost five years ago, having been diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease aged four.<\/p>\n
Amrit undergoes nine hours of peritoneal dialysis each night, a method of blood purification used when kidneys fail.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0People say I look fine, but under the hood there are a lot of problems,\u00a0\u00bb the 24-year-old said.<\/p>\n
Now he and his parents are appealing for a living kidney donor from the South Asian community to come forward.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Feeling your body change as your organs start to decline is tough,\u00a0\u00bb added Amrit, who works remotely in software sales.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0My family are my motivation, they’ve been so supportive.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Amrit’s mum Jatinder Paul is leading their campaign. Their poster reads: \u00ab\u00a0Please, help us find an angel for Amrit.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Their appeal comes as NHS Blood and Transplant reveals that a record number of people are waiting for a life-saving transplant in the UK.<\/p>\n
When Amrit’s immediate family, who are Indian Punjabi, discovered they were unable to donate, they also became aware of the shortage of matching donors from global majority backgrounds.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0As a parent, it’s hard not being able to donate because of your own health issues,\u00a0\u00bb said Jatinder.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0So you reach out to the wider community and ask if there’s someone who can help give him his life back.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Dr Rhys Evans, clinical lead for kidney transplantation at Royal Free London, where Amrit is receiving care, said ethnicity can play a significant role in how long a patient waits.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Unfortunately, for patients like Amrit who has blood group B, which is more common in South Asian and Black ethnic groups it often means a longer wait, because there are fewer donors from those communities,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
As of 31 March 2025, more than 8,000 people were on the active transplant waiting list across the UK – the highest number ever recorded. Over 1,300 of those patients are based in London.<\/p>\n
In the capital, the number of deceased organ donors fell last year to 130, down from 154 the previous year.<\/p>\n
Fiona Loud, policy director at charity Kidney Care UK, said greater awareness and conversation within ethnic minority communities is vital.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Sadly, every day at least one person dies waiting for a transplant. This has to change,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0People from Black and South Asian communities are more likely to need a donor from the same background as them so that the organ is less likely to be rejected.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Talking about it and sharing your decision helps debunk myths and makes your wishes clear to loved ones.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Anthony Clarkson, director of organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, is also urging people to register their wishes.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We are facing an incredibly concerning situation. More people than ever are waiting for transplants, but fewer donations are taking place,\u00a0\u00bb he said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We need to act across all areas – modernising the Organ Donor Register, improving understanding of the law, and investing in technologies that preserve and treat organs.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Despite the difficulties and uncertainty about whether a donor will come forward, the family say they remain hopeful.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We want to spread the word, bring awareness and find a match,\u00a0\u00bb said Jatinder.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0He’s focused on living a normal life, and that’s what gives us the strength to keep going as a unit.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Amrit Paul was in the middle of his computer science exams when he was told by doctors he would need a kidney transplant. \u00ab\u00a0It was a shock. I didn’t really know how to handle it and, in all honesty, I went into a shell,\u00a0\u00bb he said. He was placed on the organ donation register almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8906","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}