A critically ill teenager has called on lawmakers to break their deadlock over organ donation legislation, warning that repeated delays are costing lives and keeping hundreds of Barbadians trapped on life-limiting kidney dialysis treatment.
Ciara Yearwood-Harper, 19, said that passing the Human Tissue Transplant Bill into law could transform her life and the lives of many Barbadians in similar circumstances.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY on Wednesday from her Walkers Valley, St George, home, Yearwood-Harper described the daily challenges of living with kidney disease, emphasising the toll it has taken on her ambitions and mental health.
“Living with kidney disease is definitely a challenge. It stops me from going to college and getting a job because most of the time it would clash, the times would clash together, and I wouldn’t be able to make it,” she said. “And it’s definitely hard because staying at home can mess with your mentality.”
A former Lester Vaughan student, Yearwood-Harper has been navigating life with dialysis since childhood. From ages eight to 12, she underwent peritoneal dialysis and received a kidney transplant at twelve from her mother. Unfortunately, at 17, her transplanted kidney failed after complications linked to dengue fever. Now, she requires another donor or the passage of the Human Tissue Transplant Bill to access life-saving treatment.
“Having a kidney and not doing dialysis will make people better, and you can live your life like any other normal person and just pursue your dreams and do what you need to do,” she said.
She explained that she had to put her dreams on hold as dialysis sessions, which run three times a week for three and a half hours, clash with her academic and career goals.
“So right now I’m just at home…. I was studying sociology at BCC, but I made a pause at the moment,” she said. “Helping people gives me great joy…. I’ve always wanted to help people… since I was about seven or eight years old.”
Yearwood-Harper urged lawmakers to consider the urgent impact of the stalled legislation. The Human Tissue Transplant Bill, which would enable organ donation from deceased individuals, was withdrawn from the House of Assembly last October 19 and is now awaiting introduction in the Senate. Advocates say the Bill could ease the strain on the healthcare system, save lives, and restore hope for patients like Yearwood-Harper.
“A hundred per cent I support this law. I would love this law to come true and just help other people to be better,” she said.
She encouraged fellow patients to remain hopeful: “This is not the end, and always have a positive mindset… know that you have a chance to get a kidney and live a better life… It’s not over, and we are gonna get through this no matter what.”
Kidney failure remains a growing challenge in Barbados, with an estimated 400 people reliant on dialysis, a treatment that profoundly affects patients’ quality of life and independence. Medical experts stress that deceased donor transplants are the best bet for reducing the burden and returning patients to fuller lives.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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