Steph & Liam Skydive for Sheffield Kidney Association

What I wrote to the world on 22nd January, 2021 when Liam received his second kidney transplant… 🙏🏻

‘I still can’t believe what I’m actually about to say…

But firstly, for anyone who isn’t aware of Liam’s illness (he usually hides it pretty well!) I just wanted to give you a little bit of context so you can appreciate the state of absolute ecstasy we are all in…

Liam’s been battling with end stage renal failure for a very long time. 10 years ago, when he was 21, his kidneys failed and he ended up on the waiting list for a transplant. Thankfully, he received a donor and for the best part of 3 years, he was happy, healthy and lived a normal life (he just hadn’t met the love of his life yet 😉😎🙋🏻‍♀️)

After those 3 years, his kidney started failing again. I mean, there’s never any guarantee on how long a kidney will last.. 3 years, 12 months, 20 years - it’s all fairly uncertain. But it was still devastating that he found himself back on the transplant list awaiting another donor at only 25 years old. Since then, and for the last 6 years, he’s been shackled to dialysis 3 times a week, every week, being kept alive only by machines. Machines that filter and clean his blood to replace the job that his kidneys could no longer do as they had totally failed. For a second time.

Things started looking up and we were hopeful he could have his mums kidney… But then 18 months ago I got a phone call from Liam while I was at work. He was his usual annoying, silly-self but I knew something was wrong and he’d had a hospital appointment that morning. “What’s wrong?” I said.

“I’ve got cancer” he replied.

We both sobbed.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer and had to be immediately removed from the waiting list for a transplant until he could have an operation and hopefully get the all clear. They couldn’t risk putting a new healthy kidney in a body where the cancer would most likely destroy it... Complete devastation. Will he ever get a transplant? Will he even survive?

So the operation to treat the cancer went ahead – it went seemingly well but only time would tell. Then came the dreaded wait. However many phone calls, appointments and worries later - we got the results.

“The cancer has spread to his lymph nodes - we need to operate again”.

So on January 29th 2020 (my birthday, the selfish twat 😂) he went into theatre for yet another operation to remove the rest of the cancer.

Result! The cancer was gone.

Months later we were then notified he could go back on the emergency transplant list in hope for a new kidney but that chances were fearfully slim due to his previous complications and his mum’s kidney was no longer a viable option.

What could possibly happen next?

COVID-19 and a bloody global pandemic. Also meaning, no more transplant operations. Just more knock backs. More waiting. And Liam, getting worse by the day.

In-between the endless hospital trips, he was battling with chronic pain, depression and was struggling to do the most basic of things that we all take for granted. He was deteriorating by the day and ultimately, he was dying. But always with a smile on his face.

Amidst the chaos of a pandemic, I started the process to get tested and see if I could give Liam my kidney. More hospital appointments and more waiting… All to be told, only last week, that the answer was no – I couldn’t give Liam my kidney. Thankfully, there was still hope that maybe we could go down a different route – I give someone else my kidney so that Liam can have another kidney that is a better match. Like swapsies! But with kidneys!

While preparing for yet another battle, a miracle happened…

At 9pm on 20th January 2021; Liam received an unexpected call from the emergency transplant team…

“WE HAVE A MATCH! WE HAVE A KIDNEY!”

Is this real?

Within minutes we were on our way. Liam’s mum & I drove him to St James hospital in Leeds and left him at the door to go and get his match. After endless tests, no sleep, and what feels like minutes or maybe years later - he is now out of theatre and in recovery! A successful operation with (HOPEFULLY) a healthy and full working kidney, for many years to come!

No words.

The doctors and surgeon are delighted with the results and have said that whilst it’s a long road ahead - we have every reason to be positive. And that just about brings us up to where we are now!

While it’s tragic that someone had to die for Liam to live, it just shows the absolute importance of organ donation and how you can be a hero even in death and change the ending to someone else’s story. None of us can live forever, but we can help others to live a little longer.

So while I am gutted that he’s managed to make my birthday all about him for a second year running 😉 and that I’ll be bringing home our little fur-baby on my own tomorrow – there are no words to express whatever this feeling is and the gratitude I have.

Thank you to all our amazing family and friends for your love and support and to everyone who has been there for Liam throughout the years. We love you!

Here’s to the future.’

Fast forward almost 3 years and Liam is now living a full, happy and healthy life as a husband and daddy - two things that may have never been possible if it wasn’t for Sheffield Kidney Institute and the selfless man who chose to be an organ donor and saved Liam’s life 🙏🏻♥️