Dramatic night for Kemal Monteno: I returned to life

After almost three years of waiting, the legendary singer-songwriter from Sarajevo, Kemal Monteno, received a phone call on Saturday afternoon. They called from Rebro in Zagreb. They told him he had to come to the hospital immediately because they had finally found a kidney for him and he needed to be operated on as soon as possible. And of course, the singer immediately packed his things and left. That's why he didn't perform at the Dubrovnik festival Zlatna palma, Croatian media report, as relayed by the BH news agency Patria.

Kemo's daughter Adriana revealed that he was very happy because the years-long wait for that call from Rebro had finally ended. And everyone was delighted with the news. He wasn't scared at all.

The next morning (Sunday), Kemal Monteno underwent surgery and received a kidney transplant.

- The surgery went well. Although it lasted three hours, it was successful. Now he has to rest in strictly controlled conditions and complete isolation for seven to fourteen days. The speed of recovery depends on the strength of his body - said Kemal's daughter.

He went for dialysis

The famous singer had been on the waiting list for more than two years.

And the health problems began on December 30, 2011, when he was urgently admitted to KBC Zagreb. For about ten days, he was connected to machines that monitored his heart and kidney function, controlled his blood pressure and sugar levels.

He received infusions and then started dialysis. At that time, in early January 2012, the medical council decided that he had to undergo heart surgery and have a bypass installed. His heart had weakened due to diabetes, which no one had suspected.

After the heart bypass, it was necessary to find a suitable kidney for transplantation. Which is not easy. And he waited for more than two years, almost three, to find a kidney that would be compatible with him. Until then, he went for dialysis twice a week.