I first learnt that living kidney donation was even possible when I heard someone on LBC Radio talking about it. I was fascinated. I’d known that people with kidney disease could get new kidneys from living donors, but I didn’t know people could donate to a stranger!
I started looking into it and talked to my local transplant unit to get more information. At the time I had two young nieces, and after reading up on the subject I thought I’d wait a few years just in case they needed anything from me. In the end they grew up fine, by which time the idea had been put to the back of my mind.
I donated blood and platelets to the NHS for many years. I heard about donating bone marrow too, but when I began the process I was told I was too old to donate that. That’s when I remembered my old research. I could donate a kidney!
I got in contact with my local transplant unit again and everything moved forward smoothly from there. The testing started to make sure my kidneys were healthy enough for me to donate one. It took around 14 months in all, from first registering my interest to donation day, but in the end I was told everything was fine and I could donate.
It felt great to get that answer. I knew pretty immediately that I still wanted to go ahead with it. It’s strange – if you told me that I had to speak in a public setting I’d lose sleep for nights, but the idea of donating one of my kidneys felt easy!
During my tests, I saw the UK Living Kidney Donation Buddy Support Service online and thought I’d try it out, to get some answers about what to expect. I spoke to someone who donated 7 years ago. They gave me great advice about the process they went through and what to expect. It was really helpful to speak to someone who had actually been through it themselves and knew how the process made you feel.
When operation day came, to be honest I was quite excited! I was slightly apprehensive about the general anaesthetic, but they went through everything with me to make sure I knew what was going on and I felt fine with it all. Next thing I remember, I was waking up and was told everything had gone really well.
The first night in hospital was a bit of a struggle. I felt very bloated. Getting out of bed the first time was very painful! But some paracetamol did the job and I didn’t need anything else.
On the second day I was told my kidney had been successfully transplanted in the recipient and was working really well. That gave me a real high to know everything had worked. By the third day I was back home again.
It only got easier as time went on. You get into a recovery routine. I stayed with my parents for a week just to have someone to help me, as those first few nights were painful again. But after a week or so the pain really eased off.
Six weeks later, I felt absolutely fine. I don’t feel any different to how I felt before. I was back swimming and doing yoga after a few weeks and back on my motorbike after a couple of months. For me it’s definitely been a huge positive. Some people have been dealt such a bad hand in life, far worse than the one I’ve been given. I feel privileged to be able to give back by donating a kidney.
