Out of the Ordinary

WHAT IS LIVING KIDNEY DONATION?

Living kidney donation is when someone donates one of their kidneys to a person who needs a transplant. That recipient might be a friend or family member, but many donors choose to help someone they’ve never met – a stranger waiting on the kidney transplant list.

Most of us are born with two kidneys, yet we only need one to live a full, healthy life. It’s an extraordinary act of compassion and selflessness that saves lives.

To become a living kidney donor, you need to be in good general health and go through a series of medical and psychological assessments. These checks are to ensure the donation is as safe as possible for you, as well as for the person receiving your kidney.

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ORDINARY PEOPLE  SAVE LIVES

Across the country, ordinary people like Charlotte, Yunus, Brian and Jenson are finding it within themselves to do something extraordinary – save a life.

A kidney transplant is the best treatment option for many people with kidney disease. Yet today, nearly 7,000 people are waiting for one on the NHS transplant list. Because of this shortage, six people die every week while waiting for a kidney.

If more people chose to become living kidney donors, that waiting list would shrink, and more people with kidney disease could leave behind life-limiting treatments like dialysis and return to a more ordinary life.

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BRIAN IS ORDINARY

Brian, 45, loves staying fit. As a driver for North West Ambulance Service, he donated his kidney to a stranger on the transplant waiting list after getting to know the patients he transported to hospital appointments. Many of the people he drove were on their way to receive dialysis and after hearing the impact it had on them, Brian decided to do something extraordinary – donate his kidney.

“TO BE TOLD MY GIFT WAS ABLE  TO IMPROVE A STRANGER’S LIFE AND HELP HER BE A BETTER MOTHER FOR HER KIDS MAKES  IT ALL WORTH IT A HUNDRED TIMES OVER.”

CHARLOTTE IS ORDINARY

It’s been ten years since regular blood donor Charlotte chose to donate her kidney to a complete stranger. After losing her close friend Dawn to kidney disease in 2010, Charlotte began to consider the possibility of living kidney donation.

She started researching and contacted a transplant coordinator at her local hospital – and from that moment, her journey to becoming a living kidney donor was underway.

“IT FELT JUST LIKE DONATING BLOOD, BUT WITH MORE CHECKS. IF I COULD HELP SOMEONE, THEN I WANTED TO DO IT.”

YUNUS IS ORDINARY

When Yunus, 49, learned that his 16-year-old son had kidney failure, he watched him endure weeks of home dialysis. The treatment left his son exhausted, all while he was trying to keep up with his studies. So when Yunus discovered his kidney was a match, he didn’t hesitate. He did whatever it took to give his son a better life.

“I’VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO MUCH, SO IT WAS AN HONOUR TO BE ABLE TO USE SOMETHING INSIDE ME TO IMPROVE HIS LIFE.”

JENSON IS ORDINARY

Dancer and yoga teacher Jenson, 36, first heard about living kidney donation after watching a particularly powerful episode of Grey’s Anatomy that followed a six-person kidney donation chain and the life-changing impact it had. From that moment, he knew he wanted to help transform someone else’s life.

“WITHIN A FEW MONTHS I PROBABLY GOT MYSELF TO THE STRONGEST, FITTEST AND MOST COMPASSIONATE I HAD BEEN ABOUT MY BODY IN MY WHOLE LIFE.”

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WHAT IS LIVING KIDNEY DONATION?

ORDINARY PEOPLE  SAVE LIVES