Mimo Šahinpašić and Alisa Baraković travel to France today for kidney transplant

Journalist and humanist Almir Čehajić Batko announced on his Facebook page that journalist Mimo Šahinpašić and Alisa Baraković from Banovići are traveling to France today for a kidney transplant, reports Patria agency.

- Well-known Sarajevo journalist and editor, Mimo Šahinpašić, a long-time friend and associate of Otvorena mreža, is traveling on Wednesday, 09/20/2017, at 2:40 PM, by flight from Sarajevo airport, accompanied by our coordinators, to the French Clinical Center in Grenoble, where he will undergo all necessary preparations for the upcoming kidney transplant. Namely, during a pre-transplant examination in Sarajevo, organized by Otvorena mreža, one of the world's most renowned nephrologists, Prof. Dr. Lionel Rostaing, determined that Mimo's body, i.e., blood, contains a large amount of sensitized antibodies that must be removed before the transplant itself.

Prof. Dr. Rostaing assessed colleague Šahinpašić's health condition as very concerning, warning that all of us, including Mimo himself, must be patient, precisely because of the presence of sensitized antibodies in his blood, as well as his overall health condition. The reputable nephrologist, considered one of the top five recognized experts in this field, announced the possibility that colleague Šahinpašić will undergo the latest desensitization method in France, which would enable optimal conditions for his re-transplant.

If this happens and Mimo undergoes this treatment, it would practically mean that the entire process would be extended by another six weeks, which is how long this method usually takes. This would also increase the total costs of the re-transplant by 36,000 euros, the cost of the mentioned method, but that is secondary at the moment.

Traveling with colleague Šahinpašić to Grenoble is also young Alisa Baraković from Banovići, who is in an almost identical situation. Alisa also needs an urgent kidney transplant; however, due to the negligence or incompetence of domestic medical staff (in the institutions where she was treated), her blood has also been "enriched" with sensitized antibodies, and she also had a virus that Alisa, with the help of Otvorena mreža and the French team, has successfully cleared.

Alisa has been in the Otvorena mreža program for three years, but for her successful transplant, it was first necessary to resolve these two issues. Finally, after all problems have been successfully resolved, Alisa Baraković and Mimo Šahinpašić, accompanied by Otvorena mreža coordinators, are traveling to France tomorrow.

They will be met on Wednesday evening in Lyon, France, by another team of OM coordinators and escorted to Grenoble.