The cord of love between two sisters proved unbreakable when one put her life on the line to save the other.

Ms Mary Nginyo, 32, was diagnosed with kidney failure two years ago, which almost proved fatal when she became pregnant at the same time.

But her sister Peninah's love proved far more powerful as the two women underwent the first surgery of its kind in Africa, performed by a team of Spanish and Kenyan doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).

Their story signals a bold new direction for Kenyan patients with kidney failure. The introduction of this relatively low-cost transplant technology could reduce the burden on Kenya's scarce dialysis facilities, and help discourage medical travel to other countries where such procedures are more routine.

Mary and Peninah Nginyo were among the first patients to undergo a kidney transplant using new technology known as laparoscopy.

Laparoscopic surgery is a kind of keyhole surgery in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm), compared to larger incisions needed in traditional surgical procedures.

Also called minimally invasive surgery (MIS), the procedure uses images displayed on television monitors for magnification of the surgical elements.

The procedure has been applauded in developed countries as it has led to a decrease in pain and scarring and swifter recovery for the patients.
For Peninah, the decision to take part in this historic surgery was quite easy.

"The suffering of a loved one motivated me to donate one of my kidneys," Peninah, who works as a mechanic at Kenya Airways, told the Nation.

The pre-transplant tests were not as easy though, she adds, with the needles and day-long routine tests being the scariest parts.

Peninah and another sister matched as likely donors before she was chosen as the best candidate for the operation performed on Tuesday.
Mary Nginyo was in bed No 8, while her sister lay directly opposite in bed No 17.

For Mary, the first born in a family of five girls, the journey to the operation began at a time when she should have been celebrating life, not staring death in the face. It was during her second pregnancy.

"Initially I was fatigued and my feet were persistently swollen," she said of her early symptoms.