JEDDAH, 20 June 2006 — Abdul Al-Malik Al-Rabiei, an officer from the National Guard, thought he had a lot of friends, but then realized he didn’t especially at his hour of need, Al-Watan daily reported yesterday. Al-Rabiei was diagnosed with kidney failure and was in need of an immediate kidney transplant. A relative volunteered to donate a kidney but the blood groups did not match and so Al-Rabiei turned to his friends asking them if there was anyone who was willing to donate a kidney. It was at this point that Al-Rabiei noticed a sharp fall in the number of friends telephoning him or responding to his calls. In fact it seemed apparent that most of them were trying to save their guts and avoid him as best as possible. It was then that a childhood friend called Obaid Shareef unexpectedly arrived and offered one of his kidneys. Laboratory tests confirmed that blood types of both men matched and so doctors made a successful transplant at King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Jeddah.
