1 . Who are you and how are you involved with organ donation?

My name is Jo, I am 62 and I’m from Surrey. I am involved in O/D because my daughter had a life saving heart transplant ten years ago. She then went on to need a kidney transplant too and I was delighted to learn that I was a good match as a potential donor. I was then able to give her my “spare” kidney in 2012!

2. How did you decide you were going to donate your kidney?

It was a no brainer really – as it last my chance to do something really important to help get her back to full health after she was so ill for so long. I wanted her to be able to live a normal life which she wasn’t able to without a transplant as she was tied to a dialysis machine three days a week.

3. How did they find out you were a match for your daughter?

In order for me to donate I had to undergo a number of blood tests and some other investigations such as a CT scan and ECG to ensure I was healthy enough and that my kidney was in a good enough condition.

4. What was the criteria for being able to donate?

I met the criteria to enable me to donate my kidney because I as a parent I would be a very close match. Also blood tests and scans showed that my kidney was very healthy.

“WAITING FOR THE SUGARY DATE WAS THE HARDEST PART OF THE WHOLE PROCESS…”

5. Can you explain a little bit about the process from when you were found to be a match?

As well as all the physical tests I had to undergo there was also some psychological assessments and a legal requirements to ensure that I hadn’t been coerced into donating any way. Waiting for the sugary date was the hardest part of the whole process which took six months in total.

“I RECOVERED REALLY QUICKLY AND WAS ALLOWED HOME AFTER FIVE DAYS…”

6. What was the surgery and recovery like?

The actual surgery was very straightforward for me. I was down in theatre for about five hours I believe and then straight back up onto the Renal ward. Although I was in quite a lot of pain and had a bloated tummy for a few days I recovered really quickly and was allowed home after five days. Two days later I was well enough to travel into London by train to visit my daughter who was still in hospital. I felt no ill effects and blood tests showed my own kidney function was completely back to normal within three days which is pretty amazing!

7. How did your daughter respond to her transplant? 

My daughter also responded very well to the transplant and was allowed home after 10 days in hospital. She stopped dialysis immediately and hasn’t had it since. She always says it was the smoothest surgery and recovery she’s ever had (and she’s had so many!).

8. Are you pleased you donated your kidney?

I have always been so thankful that I was able to donate my kidney to my daughter – we have always been incredibly close but the fact that we’ve now got twin kidneys has really strengthened our bond.  Her kidney function is now amazing – according to her Renal Consultant if a doctor looked at her blood results and didn’t know otherwise he would never know she’d had a transplant- which is very rare apparently.  Obviously it was a high quality kidney!

9. How are you doing now? Does living with one kidney impact your life?

My health is great and being a kidney donor has not impacted my life, even in the tiniest way, at any point.

“IT IS AN AMAZING GIFT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE SOMEONE YOU LOVE…”

10. What would you say to someone considering live kidney donation or donation in general?

I would tell anyone faced with the decision whether or not to donate a kidney that I would wholeheartedly recommend it. It is an amazing gift to be able to give someone you love and even more incredible that some selfless people even go as far as to donate to a complete stranger in what’s known as altruistic donation.

Whether you’re thinking of live donation or just simply signing up to donate your organs after your death, you cannot imagine the difference it can make to someones life and I’ve seen that twice in now through my daughter. It’s incredible.

Click here to find out more about how you can become a donor: NHS Organ Donation.