Can a 70-year-old man have a kidney that is almost a century old? Yes, it is possible!

When Mr Kong Fook Seng, then in his 20s, found his kidneys failing as a result of disease, his father stepped up to offer him one of his own healthy kidneys. “I had my transplant in 1980, when I was 26 years old. At the time, my father was 54 years old. Fortunately, he was healthy; if not, I don’t think they would have allowed him to give me a kidney,” said Mr Kong. Today, that precious gift lives on; it is nearly 99 years of age, older than its recipient.

Mr Kong had known since 1972, when he underwent a medical checkup for National Service, that he had a problem with his kidneys. But they only started to fail in 1980. Each step he took left him breathless, and he had to sleep sitting up. Lying down made him choke because, as he was to learn later, his kidneys were unable to pump water out of his lungs.

When he later consulted a general practitioner (GP) for a high fever, he was found to have alarmingly high blood pressure — “about 200 over almost 100 plus” versus the more normal 120 over 80mmHg. The GP immediately sent Mr Kong to the hospital.

He was diagnosed with IgA nephritis nephropathy, a disease that causes the tiny filters of the kidneys to lose their ability to remove excess toxins, chemicals and fluids that accumulate in the body. When that happens, the wastes build up, causing problems like spilling protein into the urine. 

Dialysis — either peritoneal or haemodialysis — is an option for kidney failure, but it is life-long. Transplantation is often recommended for a better quality of life, with the kidneys coming from either deceased or living donors. Patients face a long wait for deceased organ transplantation, however, with nine years the average wait time currently.

“That’s a long time to be waiting for a life-changing treatment,” said Dr Sobhana Thangaraju, Senior Consultant, Department of Renal Medicine, Singapore General Hospital (SGH). At least 400 patients were on the wait list as of 2023. While the disease is fairly common, its cause still unclear, she said.

With advances in medicine allowing organs from people without matching blood or tissue groups to be donated, living donation is increasingly favoured. “When we see a patient who is transplant-eligible, we would certainly push for a live donor transplant. With this treatment, patients live longer, and they would have a better quality of life. Their kidneys usually last for much longer than a kidney that comes from a deceased donor,” said Dr Sobhana.

In Singapore, the kidney from a living donor lasts 20 years on average after transplant. But, as can be seen in Mr Kong’s case, the kidney from his father, the late Mr Kong Wing Hing, is lasting far longer.

Mr Kong Fook Seng with his late father, Mr Kong Wing Hing.

People still tend to be wary about donating their kidney, but donors “can actually live a very healthy and normal life with one kidney”, said Dr Sobhana. Mr Kong’s father lived a further 29 years after donating his kidney, passing away in 2009 at the ripe old age of 83 years.

With a healthy lifestyle and diet not much different from normal, Mr Kong has led an active life. Grateful for a second chance at life, he decided to live life to the full and took part in three editions of the World Transplant Games — in 1984, 1986 and 1989 — representing Singapore in table tennis and swimming. He hopes to encourage potential donors to take that step towards giving so they can help their loved ones with kidney failure live normal lives.

According to the Singapore Renal Registry, the number of patients with kidney failure has increased by 40 per cent over the past decade, with six new patients being diagnosed every day.