Businessman Tim donates a kidney to save a complete stranger | Mail Online
Businessman Tim donates a kidney to save a complete stranger
By Mail On Sunday Reporter
Last updated at 11:34 PM on 27th December 2008
A businessman has saved the life of a stranger by giving her one of his kidneys.
Tim Rowles, 46, from Leiston, Suffolk, heard of 43-year-old Wendy Adams’s desperate need for a transplant as her one kidney was failing – and realised they shared the same rare O-negative blood group.
Tests revealed that he had the right tissue match to be a donor for the clothing designer, who grew up in nearby Martlesham, before emigrating to Holland.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
The small matter of a kidney donation - Times Online
Cassandra: the small matter of a kidney donation - Times Online click for full story
I’ve been reading a lot lately about kidney problems. Every other week it seems there’s a story about someone with kidney disease. Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers had some trouble but now it seems he’s OK. There was also a story about two best friends – one who needed a kidney, the other who donated. That’s got to put a strain on a friendship.
I’ve been reading a lot lately about kidney problems. Every other week it seems there’s a story about someone with kidney disease. Anthony Kiedis from the Red Hot Chili Peppers had some trouble but now it seems he’s OK. There was also a story about two best friends – one who needed a kidney, the other who donated. That’s got to put a strain on a friendship.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Dan does London Marathon for Kidney Wales
Dan's Diary - December 2008
Dan Cherry has been granted the one available Kidney Wales Foundation running spot in the 2009London Marathon.
Dan said "... I finally signed the forms last week and received an email from the organisers to tell me that there is no backing out and that on April 26th 2009 I will be on the start line for one of the world's most famous long distance races the LONDON MARATHON. It is a great feeling to know that I can make a small difference to the charity with my efforts and I just hope that I do not put on too much weight over Christmas and hamper my bid to complete the course!"
Dan Cherry has been granted the one available Kidney Wales Foundation running spot in the 2009London Marathon.
Dan said "... I finally signed the forms last week and received an email from the organisers to tell me that there is no backing out and that on April 26th 2009 I will be on the start line for one of the world's most famous long distance races the LONDON MARATHON. It is a great feeling to know that I can make a small difference to the charity with my efforts and I just hope that I do not put on too much weight over Christmas and hamper my bid to complete the course!"
Dan does London Marathon for Kidney Wales
Dan's Diary - December 2008
Dan Cherry has been granted the one available Kidney Wales Foundation running spot in the 2009London Marathon.
Dan said "... I finally signed the forms last week and received an email from the organisers to tell me that there is no backing out and that on April 26th 2009 I will be on the start line for one of the world's most famous long distance races the LONDON MARATHON. It is a great feeling to know that I can make a small difference to the charity with my efforts and I just hope that I do not put on too much weight over Christmas and hamper my bid to complete the course!"
Dan Cherry has been granted the one available Kidney Wales Foundation running spot in the 2009London Marathon.
Dan said "... I finally signed the forms last week and received an email from the organisers to tell me that there is no backing out and that on April 26th 2009 I will be on the start line for one of the world's most famous long distance races the LONDON MARATHON. It is a great feeling to know that I can make a small difference to the charity with my efforts and I just hope that I do not put on too much weight over Christmas and hamper my bid to complete the course!"
Calendar boys bring new hope
Calendar boys bring new hope
AMMANFORD husband Chris Dark won’t have to worry about finding wife Melanie the perfect Christmas present this year — he’s already given her the gift of life.
Thanks to pioneering technology, the fit-as-a-fiddle 46-year-old was able to donate one of his kidneys to his seriously ill wife.
Chris runs the Ammanford and District Kidney Wales Committee with Melanie, also 46, who was diagnosed with kidney failure when she was just 17.
A successful kidney transplant in her 20s gave her a new life, but when it began to fail after 13 years she was placed back on the waiting list for more than a decade.
AMMANFORD husband Chris Dark won’t have to worry about finding wife Melanie the perfect Christmas present this year — he’s already given her the gift of life.
Thanks to pioneering technology, the fit-as-a-fiddle 46-year-old was able to donate one of his kidneys to his seriously ill wife.
Chris runs the Ammanford and District Kidney Wales Committee with Melanie, also 46, who was diagnosed with kidney failure when she was just 17.
A successful kidney transplant in her 20s gave her a new life, but when it began to fail after 13 years she was placed back on the waiting list for more than a decade.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Watkins is a Prophet for charity - WalesOnline
Watkins is a Prophet for charity - WalesOnlineclick for full story
Ian Watkins headlines Kidney Wales Foundation’s New Year’s Eve Charity show at Cardiff University on January 31. Tickets cost £20 from 0871 2200 260.
Ian Watkins headlines Kidney Wales Foundation’s New Year’s Eve Charity show at Cardiff University on January 31. Tickets cost £20 from 0871 2200 260.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Kidney op man is on the crest of a wave - WalesOnline
Kidney op man is on the crest of a wave - WalesOnline
FOR the first time in nearly five years Mark Schofield is looking forward to a normal Christmas with his family and friends, able to eat what he wants and have a festive tipple with his neighbours.
And the cause for his celebration is that after a long wait Mark has received a kidney transplant, an operation that released him from the shackles of his daily dialysis routine.
The father of two and former UK surfing champion said one of the highlights of his recovery in the past 10 months was the first time he got back on his surfboard, with his 17-year-old son George next to him on the waves during a family holiday in Ireland.
Mark, 45, had been on dialysis every day for three hours since December 19, 2003, when his first kidney transplant, resulting from a donation by his mum Jean, failed after 13 years. Forced back on to dialysis, Mark waited for a new opportunity and a second chance with another transplant but as the years rolled by he feared that might never happen.
“I was giving myself dialysis at home and that affected the whole family, three hours every day, which means 730 injections a year, to clean my blood. Looking back, I started to go downhill.”
Mark became so desperate he embarked on a “transplant tourism” trip to the Philippines last year to try to buy a kidney from a live donor but the trip failed when no match was found.
He now has nothing but praise for the NHS, which came up with a kidney transplant match for him in February this year.
FOR the first time in nearly five years Mark Schofield is looking forward to a normal Christmas with his family and friends, able to eat what he wants and have a festive tipple with his neighbours.
And the cause for his celebration is that after a long wait Mark has received a kidney transplant, an operation that released him from the shackles of his daily dialysis routine.
The father of two and former UK surfing champion said one of the highlights of his recovery in the past 10 months was the first time he got back on his surfboard, with his 17-year-old son George next to him on the waves during a family holiday in Ireland.
Mark, 45, had been on dialysis every day for three hours since December 19, 2003, when his first kidney transplant, resulting from a donation by his mum Jean, failed after 13 years. Forced back on to dialysis, Mark waited for a new opportunity and a second chance with another transplant but as the years rolled by he feared that might never happen.
“I was giving myself dialysis at home and that affected the whole family, three hours every day, which means 730 injections a year, to clean my blood. Looking back, I started to go downhill.”
Mark became so desperate he embarked on a “transplant tourism” trip to the Philippines last year to try to buy a kidney from a live donor but the trip failed when no match was found.
He now has nothing but praise for the NHS, which came up with a kidney transplant match for him in February this year.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Husband gives his kidney to wife
Husband gives his kidney to wife
Dec 8 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail
Melanie Dark has just received the Christmas present of a lifetime... her husband Chris gave her his kidney. Health Editor Madeleine Brindley spoke to the couple
WHEN her first kidney transplant failed 11 years ago Melanie Dark faced a lifetime on dialysis.
A combination of numerous blood transfusions, the failed transplant and giving birth to her daughter Kelly, meant that her body would reject any new kidney which was less than a perfect match.
But Melanie is now recovering after her husband Chris donated her a kidney, even though they do not share the same blood group.
She is the first woman in Wales and only the fourth patient in the nation to undergo treatment which allows non-compatible kidneys to be transplanted.
Speaking from her home near Llanelli, the mother of one, who was discharged from hospital last week, said: “The chances of me having another cadaveric kidney were very low because I would have needed such a good match.
“I was called up twice in the last 11 years but the transplant never went ahead because my body would have rejected the kidney immediately.
“I thought I was going to be on haemodialysis forever – that was really hard, it was devastating.”
Melanie’s kidneys were destroyed by a disease and she had her first transplant in 1984 at the age of 21. It began to fail 10 years later and she was forced back on to dialysis in 1997.
“Chris had been on about donating me a kidney for years and years but we were told that it wouldn’t work so we put it on the back burner.”
Chris, 46, said: “There was no sign of Mel having a transplant because she had problems with her antibodies and her blood, making it more and more difficult for her to have a kidney from a donor who had passed away.
“She has been on a [haemodialysis] machine for so many years – she was one of the lucky ones and had a machine at home – but she still had to put needles in herself every day.
“When this new machine came along which could purify the blood and get rid of the negative antibodies, I thought that we had to go for it.
“When you watch your loved one suffer you will try and do anything you can to help them.
“I’m no hero but when you watch your wife suffer and there is something that comes along that can give you hope you want to do it.
“When that option came up I jumped in with both feet. I wanted to go for it, although Mel was a bit worried.”
Melanie said: “Up until the last minute I was more concerned about Chris’ wellbeing – if something had gone wrong with him during the operation I would never have forgiven myself.
“I was still telling him up until the last moment that he could say no because I was really worried about him.
“But he said it was his wish and he wanted to do it because it would benefit both of us.”
The University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff started carrying out non-blood-group-compatible live kidney donations earlier this year – the process has successfully been used elsewhere in the world.
To ensure that the recipient’s body does not reject a kidney donated by someone with a different blood type, they must undergo treatment to remove harmful antibodies from their blood stream before the operation.
Patients are given up to five plasma exchanges before surgery and they have to take additional immune system suppressing drugs after the transplant operation.
It is hoped that the process will boost the number of live kidney donations that can be carried out every year.
Following the transplant Melanie has been able to go to the toilet properly for the first time in more than 11 years and she no longer has to severely limit the amount of fluid she can drink.
“The kidney has given me an instant new lease of life – I don’t think I’ve really come to terms with it yet.
“This is the best Christmas present I could ever have wished for.”
Chris added: “They give 10 to 11 years for a normal transplant but hopefully it should be longer because of the live donation, even though we weren’t compatible.
“If we can get another 10 to 15 years then we will be very pleased.”
Dec 8 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail
Melanie Dark has just received the Christmas present of a lifetime... her husband Chris gave her his kidney. Health Editor Madeleine Brindley spoke to the couple
WHEN her first kidney transplant failed 11 years ago Melanie Dark faced a lifetime on dialysis.
A combination of numerous blood transfusions, the failed transplant and giving birth to her daughter Kelly, meant that her body would reject any new kidney which was less than a perfect match.
But Melanie is now recovering after her husband Chris donated her a kidney, even though they do not share the same blood group.
She is the first woman in Wales and only the fourth patient in the nation to undergo treatment which allows non-compatible kidneys to be transplanted.
Speaking from her home near Llanelli, the mother of one, who was discharged from hospital last week, said: “The chances of me having another cadaveric kidney were very low because I would have needed such a good match.
“I was called up twice in the last 11 years but the transplant never went ahead because my body would have rejected the kidney immediately.
“I thought I was going to be on haemodialysis forever – that was really hard, it was devastating.”
Melanie’s kidneys were destroyed by a disease and she had her first transplant in 1984 at the age of 21. It began to fail 10 years later and she was forced back on to dialysis in 1997.
“Chris had been on about donating me a kidney for years and years but we were told that it wouldn’t work so we put it on the back burner.”
Chris, 46, said: “There was no sign of Mel having a transplant because she had problems with her antibodies and her blood, making it more and more difficult for her to have a kidney from a donor who had passed away.
“She has been on a [haemodialysis] machine for so many years – she was one of the lucky ones and had a machine at home – but she still had to put needles in herself every day.
“When this new machine came along which could purify the blood and get rid of the negative antibodies, I thought that we had to go for it.
“When you watch your loved one suffer you will try and do anything you can to help them.
“I’m no hero but when you watch your wife suffer and there is something that comes along that can give you hope you want to do it.
“When that option came up I jumped in with both feet. I wanted to go for it, although Mel was a bit worried.”
Melanie said: “Up until the last minute I was more concerned about Chris’ wellbeing – if something had gone wrong with him during the operation I would never have forgiven myself.
“I was still telling him up until the last moment that he could say no because I was really worried about him.
“But he said it was his wish and he wanted to do it because it would benefit both of us.”
The University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff started carrying out non-blood-group-compatible live kidney donations earlier this year – the process has successfully been used elsewhere in the world.
To ensure that the recipient’s body does not reject a kidney donated by someone with a different blood type, they must undergo treatment to remove harmful antibodies from their blood stream before the operation.
Patients are given up to five plasma exchanges before surgery and they have to take additional immune system suppressing drugs after the transplant operation.
It is hoped that the process will boost the number of live kidney donations that can be carried out every year.
Following the transplant Melanie has been able to go to the toilet properly for the first time in more than 11 years and she no longer has to severely limit the amount of fluid she can drink.
“The kidney has given me an instant new lease of life – I don’t think I’ve really come to terms with it yet.
“This is the best Christmas present I could ever have wished for.”
Chris added: “They give 10 to 11 years for a normal transplant but hopefully it should be longer because of the live donation, even though we weren’t compatible.
“If we can get another 10 to 15 years then we will be very pleased.”
Sunday, December 7, 2008
What the NHS can learn from organ donors
What the NHS can learn from organ donors
By Margaret McCartney
Published: December 6 2008 00:27 | Last updated: December 6 2008 00:27
As an unschooled observer of the money markets, I have been struggling in recent months to understand what anything is actually worth. In healthcare, there is a similar problem, though it makes for rather less exciting headlines. All NHS procedures have to be costed to the last penny, and reported on in “completed care episodes”. But just like financiers, healthcare professionals can’t put an exact price on everything.
Blood, for example, is a commodity given free of charge by people willing to sacrifice time and comfort in order to make a significant difference to someone else. Bone marrow is another “gift”, donated by those who know they will not be repaid financially for being inconvenienced. And then there are the gifts given in the aftermath of death: corneas, kidneys, livers, skin, hearts… all capable of transforming a stranger’s life.
A living person can donate a kidney, too, if the genetic match is close enough. The donor need not be a relative – a spouse or friend can also volunteer. And now, if enough “couples” of kidney patient and willing donor can be found, then they, if not genetically compatible themselves, can be “paired” with other couples, who can then “swap” kidneys between each other. Altruistic kidney donation, too, has been recently approved in the UK. This means that someone can donate a kidney to a complete stranger, simply because they want to.
Altruism fuels some parts of the NHS, but in others it has been squeezed out. In the past, people would unthinkingly stay late to organise or fix things that would benefit others, for which they would not be paid. This boosted camaraderie and morale, both of which served patients. Now, working life is rigorously accounted for, and junior doctors must go home on time.
Yet altruism is not just good for the recipient, it can also be good for the donor. Giving means that one feels involved and responsible; it means that one has a role worth playing. Blood and bone marrow donors know this, as do kidney donors and families of posthumous donors. The altruism commonly required a generation or two ago – to risk one’s life in the face of disease or war – has all but evaporated. But there is still a place for it, and it is worth a lot.
Margaret McCartney is a GP in Glasgow.
margaret.mccartney@ft.com
By Margaret McCartney
Published: December 6 2008 00:27 | Last updated: December 6 2008 00:27
As an unschooled observer of the money markets, I have been struggling in recent months to understand what anything is actually worth. In healthcare, there is a similar problem, though it makes for rather less exciting headlines. All NHS procedures have to be costed to the last penny, and reported on in “completed care episodes”. But just like financiers, healthcare professionals can’t put an exact price on everything.
Blood, for example, is a commodity given free of charge by people willing to sacrifice time and comfort in order to make a significant difference to someone else. Bone marrow is another “gift”, donated by those who know they will not be repaid financially for being inconvenienced. And then there are the gifts given in the aftermath of death: corneas, kidneys, livers, skin, hearts… all capable of transforming a stranger’s life.
A living person can donate a kidney, too, if the genetic match is close enough. The donor need not be a relative – a spouse or friend can also volunteer. And now, if enough “couples” of kidney patient and willing donor can be found, then they, if not genetically compatible themselves, can be “paired” with other couples, who can then “swap” kidneys between each other. Altruistic kidney donation, too, has been recently approved in the UK. This means that someone can donate a kidney to a complete stranger, simply because they want to.
Altruism fuels some parts of the NHS, but in others it has been squeezed out. In the past, people would unthinkingly stay late to organise or fix things that would benefit others, for which they would not be paid. This boosted camaraderie and morale, both of which served patients. Now, working life is rigorously accounted for, and junior doctors must go home on time.
Yet altruism is not just good for the recipient, it can also be good for the donor. Giving means that one feels involved and responsible; it means that one has a role worth playing. Blood and bone marrow donors know this, as do kidney donors and families of posthumous donors. The altruism commonly required a generation or two ago – to risk one’s life in the face of disease or war – has all but evaporated. But there is still a place for it, and it is worth a lot.
Margaret McCartney is a GP in Glasgow.
margaret.mccartney@ft.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
