Little girl, 5, gets life-saving transplant thanks to ‘guardian angel’ who agreed to SWAP her kidney
A GIRL who was on dialysis for a tenth of her life has now received a kidney transplant thanks to a new “swap” scheme.
Destiny-Rae, five, had spent 3,600 hours hooked up to treatment tubes because of her illness before she received the life-changing organ thanks to her “guardian angel” Liffy.
The scheme allows group organ “swaps” so people can guarantee a chosen recipient gets an organ by donating their own to someone else who is a match.
In Destiny-Rae’s case, Liffy donated her kidney to someone else in exchange for another donor’s organ that was a match for Destiny-Rae.
Desinty-Rae’s mum Maria said: “I can’t even put into words what a difference this will make.
“We used to go to hospital three to four times a week, it took away part of her childhood as there is so much more she could be doing.
“To receive a kidney is mind-blowing. It’s absolutely remarkable that Liffy and the donor from the scheme were willing to help Destiny-Rae.”
Around 5,000 Brits currently need transplants because they are living with the late stages of deadly kidney disease.
However the average wait time takes two to three years because not enough kidneys are available, with around 1,100 operations performed a year.
The delay is too long for many patients, with 45,000 Brits dying of chronic kidney disease annually.
The UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme uses algorithms to match up recipients with kidneys that could be a match.
Every three months, NHS Blood and Transplant carries out runs to find pairs or groups of willing donors and recipients to allow them to “swap” kidneys between each other.
Maria met Liffy who was willing to donate one of her healthy kidneys after speaking about Destiny-Rae’s story on social media app Clubhouse to try and raise awareness.
Liffy, who is a mum herself, wanted to do whatever she could to help but unfortunately wasn’t a match to be able to give Destiny-Rae one of her kidneys directly.
If you can do it, I don’t know why you wouldn’t – it can literally save a life
Liffy
The duo instead joined the scheme, and were matched with another pair at the start of the year.
Liffy said: “It means the world to me to be able to help. I’ve got a daughter who is exactly the same age, and I can’t imagine being in the same situation.
“If you can do it, I don’t know why you wouldn’t – it can literally save a life and give a better quality of life. There’ll be no real change for me, but it’ll be lifesaving for someone.”
When asked what she would most look forward to after her kidney transplant, Destiny-Rae said “eating more vegetables”, “swimming” and “gymnastics”.
These are all things she has not been able to do as she was on a very strict diet.
She is now recovering at home and looking forward to going to school full-time, without having to miss lessons for dialysis three times a week like before.
Maria said: “I literally couldn’t believe we got a match. I feel so grateful to everyone who has helped us on this journey.
“We wanted to share our story with the world so people can become inspired to consider organ donation.
“In certain communities, including my own, organ donation is not common, but I want to show the role you can play in changing someone else’s life for the better.”
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY DISEASE?
A number of symptoms can develop if kidney disease is not found early or it gets worse despite treatment.
Symptoms can include:
- weight loss and poor appetite
- swollen ankles, feet or hands – as a result of water retention (oedema)
- shortness of breath
- tiredness
- blood in your pee (urine)
- an increased need to pee – particularly at night
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- itchy skin
- muscle cramps
- feeling sick
- headaches
- erectile dysfunction in men
Source: The NHS