Transplant, Tantrums and Tiaras

Happy New Year! I haven't posted in a while! Aid and I welcomed our Son Teddy back in September, he was born 13 weeks early but after spending 10 weeks in hospital he was able to come home with us to celebrate Christmas. Teddy is now 16 weeks old (but 3 weeks corrected age) and doing well. Hope you are all doing well and 2021 is a good one for you!

I haven't written here for ages.... maybe I should use my 12 weeks in isolation to do something useful and write something. I'm not going to have much content with not leaving the house 😂 Hope you are all keeping safe!

What is something you're grateful you learned from your parents?

What is something you’re grateful you learned from your parents? Where do I start?I am so lucky that I am really close to my Mum and Dad and we have a really good relationship. We go to each others houses once a week for tea and see each other between this. It& #…

What is the best career compliment that you have received?

What is the best career compliment that you have received? This is the journal prompt for today, another work based one. Pop over to Gemma’s blog to see her write up about this one. I even get a mention! This is something my Headteacher said to me, w…

What is the best job you ever had?

What is the best job you ever had? Well I have reached the ripe old age of 31 nearly 32 (when did that actually happen!) And I have only ever had 3 jobs in my life, all of which I have loved. When I was 17 and at Sixth Form everyone…

Today's writing prompt (I am posting these a day behind if you are following in Self Discipline Support Group) What is your happiest childhood memory?

What is your happiest childhood memory? So this was the journal prompt pulled out of the writing deck by Gemma who I mentioned in my previous blogs. You can read more about her here. I think this blogging style is going to be harder than…

2018

2018 The best year of my life. Without a doubt. The first part of the year was all the build up, the planning and the Hen and Stag do’s. It was a lovely but stressful time. The morning of the wedd…

Shock horror I have actually written a blog post!

Hello! Long time no blog. Hoping to give blogging a go again. It’s actually thanks to a lady I met at The Transplant Games in Liverpool in 2015, Gemma. She interviewed me a few times in the lead up …

Check this fantastic page out, raising awareness of organ donation and the importance of sharing your wishes

On this Mother’s Day we share Holly and Helen’s story and show how the Gift of Life from Holly’s mum Helen enabled Holly to live the life she richly deserved.

Holly was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 17, and first had a kidney transplant in 2008. But seven years later in June 2015, Holly found out that the new kidney was beginning to fail and that she would need another transplant. Having spent 18 months waiting on the national register without finding a suitable donor despite two false alarms, Helen decided to give her daughter one of her kidneys. After months of tests to determine whether Helen was an appropriate donor, the pair went into surgery at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in October 2016.

Helen:

My daughter Holly’s transplant failed in 2015 and she went back on dialysis.

In June 2016 her condition deteriorated and she was told that would need to consider the possibility of a live donation.

I immediately jumped at the chance to try and improve Holly’s quality of life. My tests to donate started at the end of June 2016 and were completed very quickly.

In October 2016 I gave Holly the Gift of Life for the second time. I recovered reasonable quickly despite being almost 63 when the donation took place.

I have absolutely no regrets and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

To see the improvement in Holly’s health is worth more than anything money could ever buy.

Holly:

“I was always against anyone in my family donating a kidney to me and going through an operation that they didn’t need so I was quite reluctant to start with, but the doctors believed that a living donor transplant was really my only option at that point as I was seriously unwell.

I've gone back to work part time and I'm in full on wedding planning mode. Had some complications during the first year but happy to be dialysis free. My parents have their life (and spare room back where my machine was) and I am just doing normal everyday things people take for granted. Eating what I want, not having to stick to a fluid restriction etc.

It takes quite a few months to get over such a serious operation but I’m so much better than I was before and I can’t thank my mum enough for the gift of life that she’s given me. It’s really hard to put into words – I’d like to think I’d be able to do the same for her if I was in that position but she was just grateful that she could do that to help me.She has given me my life back.”

In December 2016 two months after the operation, Aidan proposed to Holly at the Manchester Christmas markets after two-and-a-half years together.

“When I got engaged in December ‘16 I couldn’t imagine planning a wedding and being so ill, so it’s nice that I’m able to plan that and not be tied to a dialysis machine three times a week. Aidan, my dad and the whole family were a great support to both of us. My poor dad had his wife and his daughter in hospital at the same time, and he and my brother were flitting between the two of us and visiting us both so it was stressful for them.

Holly adds: "People don’t want to talk about it because it involves talking about their own mortality and it’s a bit of a taboo subject, but also I don’t think a lot of people know that you can be living donors and you can live perfectly well with one kidney. My story shows what a difference organ donation makes.”

with your loved ones - your donation conversation may eventually save lives

Just been asked to go on Channel 5 news to talk about Organ Donation. Shame I'm so far away from London. Hope they find someone else! Look out for their news story on opt-out.

You may spot some familiar faces on this transplantation manifesto. Every little helps in raising awareness: https://www.kidney.org.uk/flipbuilder/mobile/index.html

NKF_manifesto NKF_manifesto

Mum and I in the Daily Mirror today! In the health section. Kidney Care UK put this forward to be used in their 'My Op' section.

Happy New Blog

https://transplanttantrumsandtiaras.wordpress.com/2017/12/31/my-year-in-photos/

My year in photos! Lots of amazing memories and photos from a year filled with ups and downs. Thank you to all those who stood by me and helped both Aidan and I in what was again a challenging year. Mum and Dad we wo…

Will be live on BBC radio Sussex this morning talking about Organ Donation. Listen live on Iplayer!

https://transplanttantrumsandtiaras.wordpress.com/2017/10/25/improving/

Improving Thanks for the love on the last few blogs. It has been a worrying time not only for me but I know my parents have been worried as well as A (even though he won’t admit it!) After 3 visits to…

https://transplanttantrumsandtiaras.wordpress.com/2017/10/18/infection-blues/

Infection blues… So we all finally had our long awaited holiday abroad to Crete.  You may remember last year it had to be cancelled as I was so poorly and they didn’t want me to dialyze abroad and catch …

https://transplanttantrumsandtiaras.wordpress.com/2017/05/31/update-2/

Update Just a quick update as I had ​clinic yesterday.  It went ok, they are continuing to keep a close eye on me as i’m still classed as having the CMV virus. A new drug regime means this is n…

Clinic yesterday went ok, they are continuing to keep a close eye on me as i'm still classed as having the CMV virus. A new drug regime means this is now my breakfast. Lots of upcoming appointments to attend, one at the eye clinic as CMV effects the eyes, one at the infection clinic to keep an eye on my chest and one at the transplant clinic to keep an eye on Mums kidney bean (which is doing amazingly well considering what it has had thrown at it!). Very grateful as always to the teams looking after me!

1.5lb loss at fat club. 2stone 3lb down. The fitbit is back on and looking forward to building my stamina back after the last admission.

New blog

Not smooth sailing I’ve wanted to write a blog recently but I haven’t really known what to write.  I hope my ramblings that are about to follow make some sort of sense. When you tell people you’ve h…

Blog has had a bit of a facelift. Thanks to Mark Wood for the header!

(no title) I’ve neglected this blog a bit but im determined to keep my foot back in the writing water… it keeps my brain active and keeps me out of trouble (most of the time!).

New Blog

Long time no blog! I’ve neglected this blog a bit but im determined to keep my foot back in the writing water… it keeps my brain active and keeps me out of trouble (most of the time!).  The past few …

Me and Mum are in Reader's Digest this month in a special feature where daughters say thank you to their Mums x

My 2016 What an amazing year 2016 has been… at the beginning of the year I didn’t think it would be anything special, my health was at rock bottom, many friends drifted away, I gave up studying…

So on Monday night Aidan asked me to marry him, with the most beautiful ring. I of course said yes. I can't wait to marry my best friend and become Mrs Dickenson! ❤

Breakfast time!

Thanks to my amazing Mum (and best friend) I will be leaving hospital today. My kidney is function is improving daily and the result they focus on creatinine is falling everyday! I will never be able to thank her enough for the new life she has given me. Thanks to everyone at The Royal for their care as always and the amazingly talented surgeons who made this happen. There's still a long road to recovery to go but I can't wait to get home and start it with those who I love. Thanks to everyone for their messages/cards/pressies and my family and Aidan for their unwavering support as always. Love you to the moon and back Mum ❤ x