Woman donates kidney to younger brother to save his life - following journeys from Inverness to specialist hospitals in Glasgow
A sister has donated a kidney to her younger brother after chronic kidney disease threatened his life.
Ian (39) was born with chronic kidney disease, requiring one kidney to be removed at just six months old.
As a child, Ian was forced to travel "constantly" from the family's home in Inverness to specialist hospitals in Glasgow - with his mother told he wouldn't live past 15.
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In 2010, Ian received his first transplant from a deceased donor - but sadly, by 2018, he found himself back on dialysis and requiring a second transplant.
Brave sister Anne-Marie (41) was matched as a live kidney donor in 2021 - and after a "straightforward" conversation, the siblings underwent their life-saving surgeries.
Anne-Marie says: “Ian’s health problems meant he needed constant trips to hospital as a child, travelling to Glasgow from our home in Inverness. He was there more often than not and has had over 60 surgeries.
“When he began dialysis, he was the youngest in the unit.
"He had to wait eight long years for his first transplant in 2010. That was from a deceased donor.
"Life improved drastically afterwards, and he was able to gain employment.
"However, his health slowly deteriorated, and he found himself back on dialysis by 2018, needing another transplant.
“Kidney disease has dictated what he has been able to do in his work, made it difficult to develop relationships, and affected his confidence.
"We’ve always used humour to get through but being tied to a hospital three times a week, for several hours at a time, has a massive impact.”
"“The conversation was straightforward for me.
"We’ve always been very close, and I wanted to give him a better quality of life by going ahead with the transplant.
"Covid-19 meant we weren’t able to be together, and I was operated on in Glasgow with my kidney being transported to Ian in Edinburgh."
Immediately after surgery, the pair video-called their mother - who noticed an immediate difference in Ian.
The siblings have both had a smooth recovery from their surgeries, with Ian now able to go back to work - and has even been climbing Munros.
“After the surgery, we video-called our mum from our hospital beds, and we could already see the difference in Ian," Anne-Marie said.
"Despite a few hiccups, things have gone from strength to strength. It is amazing to see Ian so well.
"He has been able to get back to work, be promoted, start a management course, and be active, hiking the Munros in Scotland.
“I’ve not had any adverse effects from the transplant, and because we have regular check-ups as donors, they’ve actually picked up on unrelated health concerns which they’ve been able to treat.
"I’m probably better cared for now than before my donation!
"The NHS supported me throughout the process and there was never any pressure to go ahead.
Anne-Marie now plans to take part in the Kidney Research UK Glasgow Bridges Walk on Sunday 18 August in the hopes of fundraising for research to fight kidney disease.
"My mum was told that Ian wouldn’t live past 15 years old," Anne-Marie said.
"He’s turning 40 within the next year, so research and transplantation have extended his life well beyond what was expected when he was born.
"That’s why continuing to push research forward is so important to me.
“Past research made my brother’s transplant possible, and I'm joining the Glasgow Bridges Walk to give back, raising funds so other folk can continue to benefit.
"There are far too many people who still need dialysis, like Ian has for large parts of his life, and we know how lucky we are that he can now enjoy life without it.
“While I’m walking across Glasgow’s bridges, Ian will be setting off on a cruise with his girlfriend around the Mediterranean.
''He’s just able to go and have fun without having to worry about the restrictions of multiple dialysis sessions each week. That’s phenomenal compared to how things were a few years ago.
“There will be a great atmosphere and camaraderie at the event, with everyone walking together for the same cause.
"Glasgow is a lovely city, and I’ll enjoy walking over the bridges with my friend Stacey. She has also been personally affected by kidney problems in her family.
“There have been so many leaps and bounds, even over the past 10 years between Ian’s two transplants, so it’s exciting to think about what progress will be made in the next 10 years.
"I hope we can reach a point where we’re able to find issues at a much earlier stage, prevent people from needing dialysis, and increase the lifespan of transplants.”
