I was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure in January 2007. I did not realise I was that ill, until, one morning, I collapsed with quadriceps tendon rupture in both knees; highly unusual in itself, but even rarer when it turned out it was a presentation for kidney failure. Given I was very unwell I was first stabilised in the high dependency unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE), before undergoing the operation to repair the tendons a few days later, and beginning my ongoing dialysis treatment. I chose to have haemodialysis and went to the RIE three evenings a week for four hours at a time. However, I was lucky enough to experience this for only 8 months as my mum wanted to donate me a kidney. This was immensely humbling. As well as ensuring compatibility, paramount in everyone’s thoughts was ensuring my Mum was medically fit to go through the operation and be able to cope with one kidney afterwards. We were given the go ahead in August 2007, with the transplant itself taking place on 29 August. My mum was amazing, getting out of hospital after only four days, recovering quickly and being able to get on with life as she had before. With me there were some initial minor rejection problems but these were successfully treated. I left the hospital two weeks after the operation and began attending the outpatient clinic, which, approaching one year on, I am now attending every six weeks. I feel extraordinarily fortunate not only to have the gift of a kidney from my mum, but for all the support I received and still receive from my family and friends and, of course, for the wonderful work of doctors, nurses and surgeons.
