MY LITTLE BROTHER'S GIFT OF LIFE

Their blood types aren't compatible, which usually means a transplant won't work - but thanks to a revolutionary procedure Chervon's body has not rejected her sibling's kidney

- MARELIZE GRBICH

SHE was 11 when her baby brother was born and she was besotted with him from the start, spending as much time with the chubby, curly-haired little boy as she could.

Chervon Meyer loved him so much she’d do anything for him – but she couldn’t have imagined he’d be the one saving her life years later by literally giving her a part of himself.

Theirs is a tale of faith, hope and love – but it’s also about the wonder of medical science and the power of never giving up.

Chervon (35) is healthy today because her brother, Joshua (24), donated a kidney to her. What makes it even more remarkable is the siblings have different blood types, which often spells rejection for a transplanted organ. But thanks to a revolutionary procedure performed for the first time in Africa, Chervon has a functioning kidney and a whole new lease on life.

It’s been a month since the transplant was performed at Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital and Chervon, a mom of two, is relaxing on the couch in her mom Carol’s home in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain.

Brother and sister share a close bond which is why, when Chervon approached her family about testing as possible kidney donors, Joshua immediately agreed.

However, the odds seemed stacked against them. Joshua was a tissue match for his sister but their blood groups were different. Then the pandemic struck and any possibility of a transplant became a distant dream.

Chervon was on dialysis three days a week for years and her family could do nothing but look on helplessly.