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Kidney donation brings hope to Black Isle family on practice 60th anniversary





Martin and Johan Ross from the Black Isle.
Martin and Johan Ross from the Black Isle.

THE “amazing sacrifice” of a Black Isle woman has helped to give her husband a second chance at life.

Martin Ross (48) shared his experience of receiving a living kidney transplant from his wife Johan (47) 60 years after the first ever such transplant operation was carried out.

Living kidney transplantation, which has shown to offer better outcomes for patients suffering kidney failure, was first performed on twins at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh in 1960.

Since then. more than 1500 people in Scotland have donated a kidney to help others.

Mrs Ross told the Courier: “It was an amazing feeling knowing I’d be able to help my husband in such a huge way.

“Of course we were both nervous before it, as you would be for any operation, but there was a great sense of anticipation knowing improvement for him was just around the corner.

“It was quite emotional seeing Martin the night before our operations.

“We were just looking at each other thinking ‘This is it, it’s finally happening’.

“I remember saying to him, ‘My kidney will be your kidney tomorrow’.”

Mr Ross, who was first diagnosed with kidney failure in 2009, said he was initially able to lead an almost normal life after 18 months of peritoneal dialysis at home, but his condition deteriorated in 2017.

Together with his sister and cousin, Johan was tested to see if she would make a suitable donor for him and emerged as the closest match. Mr Ross added: “It’s something you never expect to have to thank your wife for doing and I don’t really know how to put it into words. It’s such an amazing sacrifice to make.

“When I see how completely back to normal she is and then look at myself and how well things are going, it makes me hope and pray that the level of live transplants in Scotland increases so that others like me also get a second chance.

“There’s an overwhelming sense of a dark cloud lifting, and we have Johan, our fantastic NHS and the prayers of many people far and wide to thank for that.”

n To find out more about living donation, visit livingdonationscotland.org


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