To be completely honest, I have no idea what made me want to donate a kidney! It was just one of those ideas that got into my head that wouldn’t go away. I heard Joe Brolly, the former Gaelic footballer, talk about his kidney donation experience and this just made me more curious. I remember telling my wife that I was considering donating, and she immediately commented “You have your mind made up already.” After 40 years of marriage, I guess she is more aware of my impulsiveness and stubbornness than I am. Once I pass a comment about the bathroom suite or stop at the estate agents window, she knows that my mind is ticking over!
I set about giving serious consideration to the possibility of donating. The risks seemed to be outweighed by the benefit of someone getting the opportunity to live their life more fully. I suppose my attitude was that I had two kidneys, and if the tests showed I was healthy enough to live with one then why wouldn’t I donate?
The transplant team explained how an altruistic donor can go into a donor pool, meaning my donation could set off a chain of kidney transplants across the UK. This was my initial plan. However, the tests I underwent highlighted that my kidney was a perfect match with someone who otherwise had a really low chance of finding a donor. I was asked if I would consider leaving the pool and do a direct donation. It didn’t concern me as to who received my kidney, so long as someone was able to benefit. Plans for a direct donation were put into place.
All was going according to plan until 31 March 2020 when I found myself in the back of an ambulance with severe chest pains. My family have a long history of heart disease, so I feared the worst and thought that it may mean the end of my kidney donation journey. It turned out to be a complicated gall bladder issue that eventually required quite a major operation and three months of recovery time before I could even think about going ahead with the donation. Throughout the whole process, it was constantly emphasised that I should feel no pressure to continue with the donation if I ever had any doubts. A combination of my stubbornness and the care of the transplant team kept me focussed!
The day of the surgery arrived. By this stage I was of course a bit nervous but also pleased that all the preparation had finally got me to this stage. I wondered how the recipient would be feeling, waiting for news that my operation had gone well before she could finally accept that the donation was to go ahead. I guess she was more nervous than I was lying on our respective hospital beds that morning.
The surgery itself went absolutely fine, with no complications or difficulties. I was told everything had been a success for my recipient too, and I allowed myself a few moments to think about the difference that my kidney could make to her life.
The recovery was straightforward enough. I was back watching a game on the hurling pitch after just two days! I think though that I tried to push myself a bit too much and should have given my body more time to recover, but eventually things got back to normal. After that, my day-to-day life hasn’t really changed at all.
After three months I was asked if I would be willing to send a card to my kidney recipient to let them know that I was doing absolutely fine, so there was no guilt or other bad feelings about accepting the donation. I sent the card and although I didn’t need to know anything more about them and didn’t expect a card in return, I found it very moving when I actually ended up getting a letter back from them. It is a strange feeling though, when every now and again I think about my kidney making a difference to someone else’s life. It is actually quite a privilege to be able to have an impact on someone’s quality of life.
Following my donation, my sister also became a kidney donor. I guess stubbornness runs in the family!
