Because someone said yes

SUCCESSFULL  kidney transplant patient Vivek Reddy, 56, who competed in the World Transplant Games in August, has made an impassioned plea for people to register as organ donors.

Speaking at the reunion function of descendants of pioneer Chatsworth farmers hosted by the Chatsworth Vernacular School Institute, Reddy said he stood before the audience not as a miracle, but as a testament to grit, to grace, and to the quiet power of human generosity.

He said there was a time when his life was measured in hours hooked to a dialysis machine. He carried his laptop and continued working as an IT account manager even as his blood was being filtered for five hours, three times a week.

“I knew the statistics. I knew the odds. But I also knew something deeper: I was not done living. And then, one day, the call came. A donor kidney - an anonymous gift from someone who, in their final moment, chose to say yes. That yes didn’t just save my life. It reignited it. Since then, I’ve asked myself: how do you honour a gift like that? How do you repay a debt that cannot be measured? You speak. You act. You call on others to do the same.

“So today, I ask you - not with pity, but with purpose - to register as organ donors. Because somebody said yes, I have been able to excel in my job, receiving awards for being a Top Performer in 2019 , 2022, 2023 , 2024 and 2025 - each of these awards giving my wife and I the opportunity to travel the world extensively.

"Because somebody said yes, I’ve been able to watch my girls grow up and experience milestones, such as attaining good matric results, entering into university, passing their driver’s licence tests, graduate and continue their journey to create their dreams. I’ve been part of all of that,” said Reddy, adding the crowning glory of his successful kidney transplant was being chosen to represent South Africa in squash at the World Transplant Games in Dresden, Germany.

Although he finished fifth in his division, he has already started training for the World Transplant Games in 2027 to be held in Belgium.

Meanwhile, he has become an ambassador for organ donor registration so that “someone else gets to dance at their child’s wedding, finish a degree, or simply breathe without pain”.

“This isn’t just about medicine - it is a moral triumph. Organ donation is the ultimate act of solidarity, transcending race, religion, and class. It is proof that even in loss, we can give life.

“I am here because someone said yes. Let that yes echo through our communities, our families, our hearts,” Reddy said.

He said an organ donor could save seven lives by donating two kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine. There is also tissue donation like skin, cornea and heart valves.

“In South Africa, we have more than 2 580 people waiting for various lifesaving organ transplants. Unfortunately only 0.2% of South Africans are registered for organ donation. You can make a difference – please register as an organ donor or just talk to your family members and educate them on what this means,” Reddy added.

* To register as an organ donor, call the Organ Donor Foundation toll-free at 0800 22 66 11 or register online at www.odf.org.za. After registering, you will receive an organ donor card to carry and a sticker to place on your ID and driver's licence. It is also crucial to inform your family of your decision so they can honour your wish. 

 POST PLUS