São Vicente to perform transplant in June/July: Kidney donor Norberto Tavares recalls his story
On March 24th, Cape Verde performed its first kidney transplant, at Praia Hospital, and both the patient and the donor are recovering well. This event, now a milestone in the history of Cape Verdean medicine, brought to mind other stories of courage and solidarity which, although they took place outside the country, continue to inspire. These include that of Carlos Tavares, who in 2010 donated a kidney to musician Norberto Tavares.
Carlos Tavares recalls that the transplant for Norberto Tavares took place on July 21, 2010, in Boston, United States, at Tufts Medical Center.
"Yes, I was the donor for Norberto Tavares," he told A NAÇÃO, stressing that, despite the coincidence of surnames, there was no family relationship between the two. "My gesture was purely human."
Norberto survived two years after the transplant, with a much better quality of life than he had, until he succumbed to a heart attack when his kidney was still functioning normally. In other words, it was for another reason that the author of "Cabo Verde di sperança", "Maria" and several other hits, which made generations of Cape Verdeans happy, including his donor, ended up passing away.
Carlos Tavares recalls with emotion that, just three months after the surgery, he got married in October of that same year, 2010, and Norberto was present at his wedding.
"What I did 16 years ago I would do to anyone," says our interviewee, adding that the whole story is recorded in his book Recordar é Viver (Remembering is Living).
When he heard that Cape Verde was preparing to carry out the first kidney transplant, Carlos Tavares confesses that he was deeply touched: "You can't imagine how touched I was... because the transplant saves many lives."
The process, he explains, is long and demanding. The donor has to be in perfect health and undergo constant tests. Carlos lived in Rhode Island, while Norberto in New Bedford, and they both had to travel to Boston every week.
"I had to travel more than 50 miles fasting every week, and each appointment lasted no less than three hours. "They comb you through," he recalls, thanking Norberto's brother Totó Tavares, also a musician, for his support.
Despite the difficulties, Carlos insists that donating a kidney doesn't limit anyone's life. "A person can live peacefully with just one kidney, nothing is limited," he explained, warning only to be careful with anti-inflammatory medication and the need to always inform doctors.
And from her experience, she also learned a curious lesson: "I learned that in the world, out of every 500,000 people, one is born with only one kidney".
The Nation
