TG OMORI: DEALING WITH KIDNEY DISEASE IS THE WORST THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME, I DON’T WISH IT ON MY ENEMY

I never expected to be in this fight. If someone told me years ago, when I was just a young guy chasing dreams with a camera, that I’d be battling for my life because of a failing kidney, I wouldn’t have believed them. But here I am, still standing, still fighting, still breathing, even when it felt like my body was turning against me.

It all started with pain and a decline in my health that I couldn’t ignore. My kidney crashed, my doctors told me, meaning it was no longer working the way it should. I was only 28 then, an age when most people are building careers, not worrying about dying.Yet every symptom, every lab result, showed that my kidney was failing. I braced myself, prayed, and tried to stay positive. But as weeks turned into months, it became clearer that I needed more than hope, I needed a transplant to live.

My brother, my only brother stood up for me in a way I never expected. He volunteered to give me one of his kidneys. He said, “If you need it, I’ll give it,” and I still don’t know how to fully thank him for that. When he donated his kidney, I hoped it was the second chance I dreamed of. I shared those moments on social media, lying on a hospital bed, oxygen mask on, heart full of both fear and gratitude. I remember writing, “Keep my spirit alive. I don’t wanna die.”

But life threw another punch. Despite the transplant surgery, despite my brother’s sacrifice, the transplant failed. I posted it openly because hiding it wouldn’t make it easier. I told the world, “One year after my kidney crashed, I just had a failed transplant… Pray for me.”

There were times I went into the operating theatre three times, and each time I walked out wondering if I’d make it. Some days, I felt like giving up. I don’t want to die, I said.

The support that followed, messages, prayers, genuine concern from fans and fellow creative minds gave me strength. I reminded myself that I was a fighter. I was healing from the stitches of that failed transplant, and every day I took it as progress. I promised that I would come back, that this wasn’t the end of my story.

And slowly, I did. I returned to set, picked up my camera again, and reminded myself why I fell in love with what I do. This journey has been the worst thing that happened to me only because it nearly took my life,

but because it taught me how fragile life can be. Yet through every setback, I’ve found a deeper appreciation for love, resilience, and the fight to live another day.