Two members of staff who work as porters at Heartlands Hospital are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with their families, after saving the lives of their loved ones by donating their kidneys.
Mary Worthington donated a kidney to her son-in-law Anthony Smith in March this year. Thirty-six-year-old Anthony had been receiving home dialysis for two years and had been on the transplant list for around nine months. Both Mary and her husband Kevin offered to donate, but Mary was a closer match. Mary and Anthony’s transplant was performed at University Hospitals Birmingham and process was co-ordinated by Karen Hodgson, a live donor transplant co-ordinator at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust. Twelve weeks after the transplant, Mary returned to work full-time.
Anthony and Shereen, Mary’s daughter, have four children and since his transplant, his quality of life has hugely improved. He no longer needs dialysis four times a day, isn’t tired all the time and can run around after his children.
Mary said: “When I found out about Anthony it was a shock and I made up my mind there and then to see if I was a match. I am glad for Shereen, Anthony and the kids as it means that they will be a family again and do all the things that they couldn’t do before. My granddaughter Libby used to get up and make Anthony a cup of tea before he started his dialysis treatment and now Anthony will be helping to make Christmas dinner!”
Fifty-two-year-old Richard Stanley and his 48-year-old wife Carole met while working at Heartlands Hospital and shortly after their wedding in July 2013, Carole, who is diabetic, became very poorly with renal failure. She was placed on the transplant waiting list and when her kidney function was at just 15% of a normal kidney her medical team discussed putting her on dialysis. Richard offered to be tested to see if he could be a suitable match.
Surprisingly, Richard was a close match, and the transplant operation went ahead in October 2013 at nearby University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, which was co-ordinated by Karen too.
The couple, from Solihull, spent just under a week in hospital recovering from their operations before returning home. Richard had six weeks off work and Carole returned to work 18 weeks after her transplant.
Carole now works as a waiting list co-ordinator at Heartlands Hospital and has a new lease of life since her transplant. She has more energy and can enjoy time with her family, including her son Daryl, from a previous relationship, and her eight-year-old granddaughter Faith.
Carole said: “I love having the energy to run around after Faith, especially at Christmas time. This transplant has changed my life and I will forever be grateful to Richard for giving me such a generous gift – one I wouldn’t be able to have a normal Christmas without. I am also very grateful to my renal team who are now like family too.”
Karen Hodgson, Live Donor Kidney Transplant Co-ordinator, said: “It’s becoming more common for couples to donate their kidneys, but more unusual for two members of the same team to donate them to their loved ones. About a third of kidney transplants carried out in the UK are from living donors. A healthy person can lead a normal life with one working kidney. Before you become a living donor you are assessed to make sure it is safe for you to donate and the organ is suitable for the person receiving it.”
