A HUSBAND who donated a kidney to his seriously ill wife, only for the transplant to fail, has launched a fundraising campaign to thank York Hospital staff.
Mark Lee, of Acomb, gave one of his kidneys in 2008 to his wife Dot, who has suffered from kidney disease since she was a teenager.
Despite the chances of success being high, Mrs Lee’s body rejected the organ within months and she now has no functioning kidney – requiring hours of dialysis four times a week at York Hospital.
She is now waiting for a suitable donor.
Speaking of his decision to give up one his kidneys, Mr Lee, 41, said he “gave it no thought”.
“The option was put to us for a live kidney donor and we went through the tests and found we were a good match, though not perfect.
“It lasted about four months then just deteriorated – her body just rejected it. She has since had her kidneys removed because they were just getting worse.
“My wife felt worse for me because I had given a kidney, but that’s the chance you take.
“It’s about the chance for somebody to have a better life.”
The couple are now anxiously hoping for a call from the hospital to say a donor has been found.
“The holy grail is a kidney donor,” said Mr Lee. “But there are ways and means. It’s not about first-come-first served – there’s no waiting list; it’s about when a match comes along.”
Since having her failing kidneys removed, Mrs Lee, 48, must spend four hours a day, four times a week, in the renal unit at York Hospital, hooked up to a dialysis machine.
Now she, her husband and their friend, Claire Cummings, have decided to show their appreciation and raise awareness of the work of staff in the unit by staging a fundraising music festival, featuring local bands, at The Fox pub in Holgate Road on Sunday.
Mrs Lee, said: “There are not enough donors out there. It’s not as straightforward as people think, but it’s also not as complicated.
“The renal unit has been so supportive.”
Her husband said the money raised will go towards equipment and facilities, such as books and electronic entertainment systems, to make life less boring for patients who spend hours hooked up to dialysis machine.
For more details on the event, which begins at noon, visit foxfestyork.co.uk
• Last year, The Press ran its Lifesavers campaign to raise awareness of organ donation and to encourage people to join the register.
To join the Organ Donor Register or get more information, phone 0300 1232323, visit organdonation.nhs.uk or text SAVE to 84118.
Charity event deserves support
WHEN Mark Lee learned he was a good tissue match for his wife, Dot, who was desperately waiting for a new kidney, he didn’t hesitate. He donated one of his own, in the hope it would enable her to lead a full and active life.
Sadly, there was no fairytale ending. Tests had shown he was a good match, not a perfect one, and the transplanted kidney failed after only a few months.
Three years on Dot, who has suffered from progressive renal failure since she was a teenager, has no functioning kidneys at all. She is still desperately waiting for another donor, and in the meantime requires dialysis four times a week at York Hospital to keep her alive.
However, the failure of that transplant has not stopped her and her husband being deeply grateful to the York renal team who are keeping her alive. So much so that the couple, together with friend Claire Cummings, are organising a charity music festival on Sunday, at the Fox Inn, in Holgate, to raise money for York Hospital’s Renal Unit.
It is great to see a couple who, despite the hardships they have endured, remain so grateful for the help they have received, and so determined to give something back.
We are sure the music festival they are organising, which is over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, will be great fun.
The Renal Unit in York saves and transforms lives. If you want to help, you could do much worse than get yourself over to The Fox on April 24.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject, sign up to the national organ donor register too.
It won’t cost you anything: and it could one day make all the difference to someone just like Dot.
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