Luc donated a kidney in the summer of 2011, when he was 25. I’m what is known as an altruistic kidney donor – that’s someone who donates a kidney to save or prolong a stranger’s life. I’ve been asked to say a few words about my experience. Before I get into the joys of […]
Nicholas Crace is a former charity director from Hampshire, gave a kidney to a stranger in spring, 2012. He was, at the time, the oldest person in the UK to have done so at aged 83 – although there have now been older donors. Nicholas Crace had good health and no dependents when his wife, […]
Paul Hinkins received a kidney through the paired/pooled kidney transplant scheme, which was made possible when the law changed under the Human Tissue Act in 2006. Sometimes someone waiting for a kidney will know someone who is willing to donate one, but incompatibility in blood group or tissue type will mean that the donor’s kidney […]
Keith, from Plymouth received a kidney from an altruistic kidney donor and describes what a difference it made to his life. “I’ll never forget the first time I ate liver and onions after my transplant. Nothing has ever tasted as good.” It was one of Keith’s favourite meals and one that he had not been allowed […]
Chris received a kidney from an altruistic donor after waiting more than three years. My transplant operation gave me back the joy of life. I had got used to life on dialysis and thought I was getting on all right. I was surrounded by people in the same position and had become almost institutionalised. I […]
Jim, from Surrey, describes what it was like waiting for a transplant. Jim had to have a kidney transplant because of a disease called Henoch-Schönlein purpura (inflammation of the blood vessels), which he developed in his late 30s. In fact, he has had two transplants, because the first one failed after less than a year. […]
Keith, from Plymouth, describes what it was like waiting for a kidney transplant. “I am someone who accepts whatever life brings along. So I did get used to being on dialysis,” says Keith. “But there is no doubt that being dialysed three times a week does interfere with your life and your family’s life.” Keith […]
Jenny, a crime scene investigator from Dorset, gave a kidney to a stranger in 2011. I had never had any connection with anyone with kidney failure or anything to do with organ transplants. I happened to see a news article about a three-way paired kidney donation, and the article mentioned altruistic kidney donation. At this […]
David, from Devon, a retired civil servant and lay magistrate, donated a kidney in 2010 at the age of 67. Probably the most frequent question I have been asked has been, “Why?” For me, this was fairly simple and straightforward; I believe that if you are in a position to help someone else less […]
Paul, a GP from Surrey and Give a Kidney Trustee, gave a kidney in 2008, at the age of 53. I still find it difficult to say exactly why or when I decided to look into the possibility of donating a kidney. My first job as a junior doctor in hospital in the 70’s was on […]
Di is from West Berkshire and an altruistic kidney donor who has written a blog about donating her kidney. In 2010 I donated a kidney to someone I did not know. A friend of mine in the United States donated one early in 2006, and that was the first I heard that you could. Immediately […]
Dr Chris Burns-Cox, a consultant physician from Gloucestershire, donated a kidney in 2010 at the age of 72. I had been a doctor for 50 years and still felt a pity for the suffering of mankind – but also was aware how enormously fortunate I had been in my own good health. These were good […]
Jim Fatah, aged 60 from Surrey, has had two transplants because of Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP), an inflammation of the blood vessels which damages the kidneys. His first lasted just under a year, but the second one has lasted more than 11 years and is still going strong. “Having a kidney transplant was better than winning […]