fish heads and flip flops part 2 - long overdue!

I received a message from someone this morning asking what happened with the whole Philippines saga. I realised that I didn't really explain what the actual outcome was...so here it is... better late than never!

When I returned home from the Philippines I knew I had to make a huge decision, and I went into massive thinking mode and spoke to everyone I knew, gathering together the pros and cons of having a transplant in the Philippines. I swung from a definite yes to a definite no really quickly and then back again with everything that I'd seen and heard on my trip swimming around in my head. I even saw my consultant who although couldn't advise me to go, didn't tell me not to so I began to think it would be a good idea.

I was absolutely terrified if I'm honest, but at the time I didn't really see I had a choice. Fed up of waiting on the transplant list I decided I should go ahead with the operation in the Philippines. I was aware that there was a monatorium going on, preventing foreigners from having kidney transplants in the Philippines - I'd been told this when I was out there - but that it was very temporary - and that normal practice would start again in two weeks.

I emailed the company in the Philippines telling them that I wanted to go ahead with the transplant and oddly I didn't get an instant reply from them, which I always had done in the past. I waited a few days and then did a bit of googling about the monatorium, and to my surprise I saw that a total permanent ban had been put on all foreign transplants and the company that I had been dealing with had been closed down. So it looked like the decision had been made for me...I was slightly disappointed at first, but soon realised that this obviously was meant to be and that I wasn't supposed to go. Six months on I can see that it was definitely for the best, especially since all that has happened with Oli....more on that later....