Live kidney donation story UK

Back story

Mike is a dad and partner. Age 42ish and has 8 children. Four from a previous relationship before he met me. We have four children together. Most of our collective children are now adults oldest being 22 and youngest twin boys age 3. The children are his world and as good dads go he is the best. (But then I might be a bit biased.)

He has been in all kinds of work to support his family from giving up an apprenticeship in Stone masonry when his first child arrived. He made the choice to go into full paid work to provide.

He has worked in retail, care work and many other hands on jobs potato picker, flower picker, factory work, just to name a few.

When he became a single dad after his last relationship ended he had a long stint of little children, school runs and day to day living.

We met and our relationship started. We talked about hopes and dreams. As we talked Mike told me stories about his upbringing with his dad and how a kind  Reverend friend of the family found his dad, Mike and his sister and brother a flat when they had nowhere to live and furnished it to get them started. The family friend is now more like family and Mike will never forget his kindness and support for his dad and countless families and communities over many, many years now. We get a lot of our pay it forward ethos from this event and the impact he had, on the family over the years, as a whole.

Mike has always gone out of his way to help and support others. He very really thinks of himself.

So when Mike found out their family friend had kidney failure and needed a new kidney Mike instantly, without hesitation decided he would get tested to be a match.

“I only really thought about the questions my own loved ones would have and researched to be able to inform them and ease any worries they might have. I think of it like this if someone fell on the train track in front of me I would jump down and try and help regardless of risk to myself because it’s the right thing to do and I would have regrets if I didn’t at least try and help. This situation for me is the same...I am a match I can give one of my kidneys and I am helping someone potentially get 20-25 extra years life. Good deal if you ask me” (Mike Atkins, 2023)

The process was slow going he emailed the live donor website 3 times and no-one got back to him from there. This was highly frustrating as you can imagine. All the while Mike is watching his family friend go down hill and struggle week in week out with treatments and side effects.

Finally Mike had to go through the doctors dealing with his friends care to get the ball rolling. Directly through the recipients Doctors.

Mike then waited to hear when he would have to go in for his first round of blood tests and check ups. This was to test for blood type and tissue match.

This was unfortunately hindered through a small labelling error at the hospital. Mike then had to go back to have extra blood taken.

Mike waited between 4-8 weeks for the results. When they came back they showed high red blood cell count so another round of test to check  it wasn’t  anything that would hinder being a donor. This is all before waiting to find out if he was a match or not.

We all then waited patiently for 2 months to find out if Mike was a match and could move on to the next stage.

Finally a week ago he had the phone call to say he is a potential match. They have one other donor that has come forward, that is a little older than Mike, but now we are all waiting to see which person is the best match.

Mean while Mike has opted for the pared pulled donation and he joined the national living donor  scheme this is a sharing scheme that means if you are not a suitable match it allows you to access or swap with other potential donors to give even more parties a chance this part in the live donor process that helps other not just Mikes family friend. (Think of it like a three way swap in the rented housing world except with live people and exchange is a body part)

So that brings us up to now.......

Mike had his own stint in hospital July-August 2023. Its all in hand but it scared him there for a while. Still only of the first things he asks his doctors is “this won’t  hinder me being a live donor will it” The answer was no it won’t and that was that.

You see once Mike decides something he goes at it head strong and determined.

We are now waiting to see what the next steps of the process will hold.

The NHS are definitely stretched in the UK at present. They are still so overlooked considering they are want keeps the UK healthy and safe. Even this small window into the system is frustrating and long but ultimately does what it says. There are always horror stories but I would describe the NHS as one of the country’s most valuable resources to its community and the public.

We now wait for the next call holding our breath.

DONT enter into it lightly.

Mike thought and researched all about it before putting himself forward. He looked into the benefits of live donation and the statistics etc. He also thought about his own recovery and implications in his own family and health.

I can’t say that as his wife to be I am not scared for all involved but I am 100% as always, supportive.

Mikes incredibly selfless act has reinforced why we are entering into our own dream together.

I will bring you more updates when we have them.

For now thanks for reading and supporting the Stubborn Glitch.

UPDATES TO FOLLOW SOON

LINKS, research and references. 

https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/become-a-living-donor/

https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/organ-transplantation/kidney/receiving-a-kidney/living-donor-kidney-transplant/

Screen shots used as photo information in this blog have been taken from these websites please access where the pictures came from using these links. Lots more indepth  information on these links.

Other useful research links accessed

https://www.kidney.org/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-transplant/