World Kidney Day: Brave Wigan man donated an organ to save a stranger

Giving a live organ to someone on the national transplant waiting list is known as non-directed (altruistic) living kidney donation.

To mark today’s World Kidney Day, Christopher Leach, 43, from Scholes, who donated a kidney at Manchester Royal Infirmary in the autumn after losing 20kg to do so, has spoken about his experience.

He said: “With so much news about the new opt-out system around deceased donation, I’m using the opportunity of World Kidney Day to remind people that they do not have to be deceased to donate, they can potentially help someone now. Whilst I would urge everyone to sign the organ donor register and make their wishes known, relatively few people die in circumstances that mean their organs can be donated so living donation is still critical.

“After a work accident in 2006, I needed spinal surgery which has left me with chronic pain in my spine and nerve pain going down my left leg and the need to use crutches for support.

“I can therefore empathise with people whose lives are impacted by chronic pain and illness.

“I am a regular blood donor and when I found out about living donation I knew I would want to help someone if I could. I had to lose 20kg in order to donate and was delighted to do so last year. It makes me smile to think I will have hopefully had a very positive impact on someone’s life.”

Christopher received support from Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles and started swimming, reaching his weight loss target just before the surgery.

He spent several weeks recovering in hospital and tests carried out two months later showed his kidney function had already returned to what it was before the operation.

He does not know who received his kidney, but he did see the difference new organs made to other patients while in hospital.

Christopher said: “It was really good to see what one donation did and how it can change lives.”

Bob Wiggins, chairman of charity Give a Kidney, said: “There are almost 5,000 people in the UK on the waiting list for a kidney and around 250 people die each year in need of one.

“Many people still don’t know that any healthy adult can volunteer as a living donor and more than 800 people in the UK have now donated one of their healthy kidneys to a stranger, changing hundreds of lives for the better. Not only that, but someone stepping forward to donate in this way can potentially trigger up to three transplants, so kidneys from donors like Christopher are incredibly valuable.”

Any healthy adult can volunteer to be assessed as a living donor and a kidney from a living donor is the best treatment option for most patients.

If approved, they are matched with a suitable high priority recipient from the transplant waiting list or entered into a sharing scheme which enables one non-directed donor to potentially trigger up to three transplants.

Lisa Burnapp, clinical lead for living donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Living donation has been a major success story for the UK, with one in three patients receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor.”

To find out more about being a living donor go to www.giveakidney.org. To register to donate after death, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk