Organ donation is not something most of us have to think much about. But for Fernando, a Peruvian with a life-threatening kidney condition residing in Tokyo, the only option that offers any hope for the future is a kidney transplant.
When Fernando first came to Japan in 1991 he was healthy, but by 1994, constant fatigue prompted him to see a doctor. "I thought I just had an upset stomach. The doctor told me bluntly that I had kidney failure and that it would kill me. He sent me away with some pills."
A year later, he started dialysis. Three times a week he goes to hospital to have his blood filtered through a mechanical "kidney," a process which leaves him weak and exhausted.