"The daily life of kidney patients is harsh, with frequent travel for dialysis, yet not everyone will receive a transplant".
"Living donors selflessly offer life, but the process requires complete trust, rigorous checks, and immense mental resilience".
"The state falls short in supporting patients, in prevention, and in providing adequate benefits and services".
Everyone has their own struggles. Yet among us are people who, three times a week, must travel from a remote village in Cyprus by bus to a hospital to undergo dialysis, which lasts about four hours, as they wait for their turn for a transplant. And then there are those willing to donate one of their kidneys to a fellow human, a relative, a friend, or even a stranger. The former are often called “modern-day martyrs” or heroes, while the latter are recognised as the “greatest donors,” as they donate extension of life to someone else without expecting anything in return.
These realities make it clear that the emotions surrounding organ transplants are some of the most intense in human experience, reminding us once again that nothing is more important than health.
Yet, as Emily Groutidou Petridou, Chairwoman of the Pancyprian Organisation of People with Kidney Disorders, member of the National Transplant Council of Cyprus, and Vice President of the European Kidney Patients Federation (EKPF), emphasises, the state still has much to do so as to give this critical issue the attention it deserves.
Following the successful cross kidney transplant performed this week as part of an internationally coordinated chain of three kidney transplants between Cyprus and Israel, Emily spoke to Politis to the point, noting the global rise in kidney disease and diabetes, highlighting prevention as the key issue.
Diagnosed at sixteen
I’ve known Emily since our teenage years, and if someone had told me then that the beautiful, carefree, impeccably dressed girl would dedicate her life to raising awareness about kidney disease and the challenges patients face beyond their illness, I honestly would not have believed it.
She was diagnosed with hereditary kidney disease, a fact that shaped her life and completely changed her perspective. After a successful transplant and a long three-year recovery, she continued her journey as a Patient Advocate, first in Cyprus and later at the European level through the EKHA (European Kidney Health Alliance) and EKPF.
“In Cyprus, the story starts with the Paraskevaides Transplant Center in Nicosia. However, after the death of entrepreneur and philanthropist Gogos Paraskevaides in 2007, it was Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela, currently MEP, who, despite objections, oversaw the reopening of the ‘Dr. Georgios Kyriakides’ Transplant Clinic in 2023 at the Nicosia General Hospital,” she racalls.
This public clinic, operating under the State Health Services Organization (OKYPY), specialises in organ transplants and is named after the scientist who put Cyprus on the transplant map in 1986.
“I became ill at 16, diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, the most common of the rare hereditary kidney diseases. For twenty years, I followed strict medical guidance and managed to avoid dialysis, maintaining kidney function despite the pain. But when I became pregnant, doctors advised me not to proceed, as pregnancy would put enormous stress on my kidneys. It was the hardest decision of my life, but one that was taken immediately, we wanted a child.”
Indeed, after giving birth, her kidney function began to decline, and at 34, with her daughter only three and a half, she needed a transplant.
“I can’t describe the anxiety and fear. At that time, procedures were much slower. The evaluation took about a year,” she recalls.
And the compatible donor?
“My mother. She gave me life a second time,” she says.
The surgery was very difficult, she adds, and I ask her how it felt knowing that the person who saved your life, her own mother, had to undergo surgery and hospitalisation.
“Most transplanted patients feel the same way about this issue, they can’t speak without getting emotional,” she explains.
“The greatest worry is whether the transplant will work, that the body won’t reject it. But my first concern upon waking was my mother’s wellbeing. That was my biggest fear. There are no words for this experience,” she says.
Alongside that comes respect and immense responsibility toward the donor. “A transplant is an incredible extension of life. If you respect your donor, you must also respect the transplant, no abuse, this is now your life. Most of us feel the same, and when we talk about our donor, we cry.”
For 18 years, Emily has remained healthy and continues to advocate for patient rights.
“Today we fight to change things because Cyprus has a geographical challenge. Our population is small, so there aren’t enough organs for transplants, while patients are increasing. And, of course, there aren’t enough deceased donors, so patients will always outnumber available organs. That’s a starting point.”
Cross Kidney Transplants
Explaining the cross-transplant programme, Emily stresses the importance of Cyprus cooperating with other countries and the immense difficulty and organization required to succeed.
“It’s a chain where one weak link can ruin the whole process. Someone wants to donate to a loved one but isn’t compatible, so they may donate to someone else in Israel. Someone may change their mind, face pressure, or fall ill at the last moment,” she says.
There’s the dedication, tests over and over again, timing, all must go perfectly. Organ removals must happen simultaneously, followed by transport. If anything goes wrong, the whole process collapses. The tension during this life-and-death procedure, from takeoff to landing at Larnaca’s old airport, is unimaginable.
Human Relationships
As we discuss, key words relating to transplants keep multiplying: the central one for Emily is "trust".
And with it comes a tapestry of emotions and values, defining the journey: selflessness, compassion, love, fear, anguish, perseverance, the trials of pain, the drive to save another, and the will to survive.
Those involved experience moments so grand that they seem cinematic: “Mothers, siblings, distant relatives, and friends show selfless intent to donate organs to save someone else. They undergo many checks, lose time, endure hospitalisation, and experience pain to extend someone else’s life.”
Emily notes that recent medical advancements have greatly reduced surgical pain. Organs can now be removed laparoscopically, and legislation ensures no suspicion of financial gain.
“Not everyone can be transplanted,” she says, emphasising the need for preoperative checks. Cyprus, as an EU country, has many safeguards. The Transplant Council, established in 2013, oversees the clinic’s operations. Post-surgery, patients are closely monitored. “I believe Cyprus is doing well. We have excellent doctors and a great team,” she adds.
Prevention
Global numbers are shocking: over 850 million kidney patients. Early diagnosis is crucial.
In 2025, the WHO approved a resolution on kidney health at the 78th World Health Assembly, marking the first time kidney health was officially a priority in the non-communicable disease agenda. This enables earlier diagnosis, stronger prevention, broader treatment access, and more resilient health systems, advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals 3.4 and 3.8.
“We’re seeing kidney disease reach epidemic levels, increasing due to diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease,” she warns. Modern diet, high sugar intake, and sedentary habits are harmful, yet schools lack sufficient education and physical activity.
“I feel we’re not producing healthy citizens from homes and schools, but patients,” she stresses, adding that poor lifestyle and multiple illnesses can lead to kidney disease, especially in Cyprus’s small, insular society. Two-thirds of dialysis patients are diabetic.
Dialysis
People undergoing dialysis are the new martyrs, I tell her, and she agrees: "They really are, and their numbers increase with diabetes worldwide.”
Dialysis is not a cure but a life extension: “It’s your artificial kidney. There’s no other way to clean blood from toxins. Dialysis cannot be interrupted. At this stage, the patient needs a transplant, yet only 20% worldwide qualify.”
Services and State Support
Dialysis patients, especially those outside cities, now travel by the Kidney Patients Organization buses. Centers have doubled in a decade to eleven, but travel remains difficult for those from remote villages: three times a week, every other day, four hours per session, with buses covering all villages.
“We have seven buses, and organizing routes is very difficult. After dialysis, patients need rest—they shouldn’t drive far. Another person must be involved, meaning another salary lost. Here we face state support issues,” Emili points out.
On December 2, the organisation will meet with authorities about benefits. “For years, the only state support was 75 euros/month for city patients and 150 euros/month for rural patients.”
“Support is minimal. In Greece, equivalent benefits exceed 1,000 euros/month. We’ve presented this to Parliament, the Finance and Labor Ministers, and even the President,” she adds, highlighting the lack of a national diabetes strategy and stating, “The government is not our largest sponsor.”
Ultimately, welfare decisions about prioritizing vulnerable patients remain with policymakers, she stresses, reflecting patients’ and families’ disappointment.
The last question is why she thinks the state does not take the responsibility and she seems to have thought a lot about this:
“For decades in Cyprus, patient associations, families, and relatives have tirelessly carried out work that should belong to state services. The state, therefore, rests on its laurels.”