Organ Donation Scotland are sharing the incredible story of a Dunfermline man's kidney transplant, in a bid to raise awareness for living transplants.
Calum Mitchell had suffered with kidney problems since his teenage years, and received a deceased person's kidney in a transplant when he was 21. The surgery changed his life and he was back to a good level of health.
However, these transplants often don't last for the rest of a person's life, and Calum's kidney began to fail after 22 years.
He said: “Fifteen years post-surgery they told me my kidney function was gradually declining and by October 2021 a second transplant was raised. I knew this was ahead of me and never felt like the situation was out of control. I also felt hugely grateful my transplant had given me so many good years.”
Facing the need for a second transplant, Calum's friend Ian offered to get tested as a possible viable match. It was found that the pair not only shared the same rare blood type, but they were 100% compatible matches, they were told they could be twins.
Calum said that he had struggled to ask people to get tested as a possible match, given the extent of the operation.
"It's difficult because you're putting somebody else at risk really, they don't need this operation, it's of no benefit to them. So I'm not quite sure how you get round that."
"I didn’t want to put any pressure on him, but when we got the test results it was hard to refuse as it definitely felt like it was meant to be.”
The surgery was successful, with doctors saying his results showed that his kidney function was better than when he was 16. Calum said he knew the operation had worked instantly.
He said: “Coming round from surgery, I knew I was immediately better, my extremities were warm, my head was clear, I had no central line in my neck which made me realise it had gone well. Compared to the last transplant, the recovery was so much quicker. I was home four days after surgery and taking the boys to football three weeks later.
"It's like being given your life back."
Organ Donation Scotland's campaign aims to highlight the life-saving effects of live kidney transplants, as well as the fact that potential donors can live a perfectly normal life with one kidney.
More information on becoming a potential donor can be found here.
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