Wanting to get off dialysis: A woman's experience of traveling to Uzbekistan for a transplant

I want to get out of dialysis. Five years ago, the woman underwent a kidney transplant in Central Asia in hopes of achieving just that, but the transplanted kidney was later removed and the transplant did not go well.

While the reality of overseas transplants is difficult to understand, a woman in her 60s suffering from kidney failure agreed to an interview with the Asahi Shimbun to share her experience of a failed transplant. The story is traced based on the woman's testimony.

I was in my 50s when I discovered my illness and started dialysis. At that time, more than 10,000 people in Japan were seeking kidney transplants, and the waiting period for a transplant was said to be ``about 15 years on average.''

She was ``scared'' thinking that she would not be able to receive a transplant and would continue to have to undergo dialysis. Her father had also passed away after undergoing dialysis, so she was very anxious.

Is it possible to receive a transplant as soon as possible? With this in mind, he turned to the NPO ``Support Association for Patients with Incurable Diseases'' (certification was revoked in January 2026), which he found online.

``Clinging at straws'', a woman heads to Uzbekistan

The director of this organization (at the time)...