Frans Duijts asked his fans who would like to donate a kidney to his sick sister Alie and that has had an effect: about 32 donors have registered. “But there are 1,200 kidney patients without that reach.”
It could be that her brother’s fame will save Alie Duijts. Folk singer Frans Duijts put out a call on his social media for anyone who would like to donate a kidney to his sick sister and there were 32 registrations, of which six candidates have now remained. They are further examined to see if the kidney can be a match.
1,200 people
Telegraaf reporter Jordi Versteegden finds it intense. “His sister urgently needs a new kidney, just like about 1,200 other people in the Netherlands,” he says in Show news. “What happens then is that you first look within the family. That is the best thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the Duijts family.”
He continues: “Frans would have wanted to do it himself, but he has type II diabetes, so he couldn’t do it. More than thirty people responded. Super special, of course. Really serious responses. There are now a few with whom they can really continue. Of course, there has to be a match. They are now looking into that, which will take a few weeks.”
Caught off guard
Frans tells the camera of Shownieuws that he is happy. “We are completely overwhelmed. It is really unbelievable what happened. I think it was an hour later that I received a message saying: ‘Believe it or not, we have received the first emails.’ I get goosebumps again. Seriously, I shed a tear then.”
“We have received some emails saying: ‘Let’s have a cup of coffee first, and then Frans must be present.’ Then you notice from such a registration that it is not so much about ‘I want to donate’, but: I would like to come close. We also received a few emails from: ‘Hey, you have enough money, so how much are you willing to pay for it?’”
He doesn’t want to pay. “We just ignore that.”
Desperate
Frans does not believe that he should only use his celebrity status for his own sick sister. “The most positive thing is that not only my sister is helped by this campaign, but that there are now also people on the register who say: ‘We are willing to help people.’”
Story boss Guido den Aantrekker at the desk: “I think it’s good that he says this, because I can imagine that there are also kidney patients who say: ‘Yes, we don’t have the reach on social media as he does and we’ll just have to wait and see.’ That’s what you get then. Many people are of course desperate in the Netherlands.”
Great reach
Guido wonders whether those people also want to donate their kidney to someone who is not affiliated with a celebrity. “I also hope that those people who may not be suitable for his sister will also want to help someone else.”
Jordi: “You can also see it the other way around: that Frans draws attention to the problem. There are 1,200 people per year who need a new kidney, so in that respect I think it is positive that he shares this.”
Guido finally: “Of course, and I completely understand it. I would also do it for my sister if necessary, but again: he is of course Frans Duijts and has a wide reach. It will be a lot less easy for someone else.”