At just two weeks old, I had a volvulus, which is a twisting of the gut and I was rushed to Accident and Emergency.
From then on, I had a lot of complications all throughout my life.
This eventually lead the doctors and nurses at Birmingham Children’s Hospital to make the decision to put me on the transplant waiting list for a new small bowel at the age of nine.
In April 2009 we received a phone call from Birmingham Children’s Hospital that changed my life forever. Read More »
My name is Nicole Mackenzie, 20, from Portsmouth and I received a kidney back in March 2009 from my Dad.
I was first diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease when I was 3 years old which was caused by Renal Artery Stenosis which is the narrowing of arteries that carry blood to both of the kidneys.
Luckily, I didn’t need dialysis, however I was on a restricted diet and throughout the next 8 years I would have routine check-ups every 1-2 months at the Southampton General Hospital. Read More »
June 2018 marked the 15th anniversary of my liver transplant. Definitely something to celebrate!
I was born without a bile duct, a condition called Biliary Atresia.
Luckily my jaundice was noticed by my health visitor and I was quickly referred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. My parents had no idea that I was so poorly, and it was a huge shock for them to be told that I would need immediate surgery and possibly a liver transplant. Read More »
My story started shortly after I was born, September 1998 my mum had noticed my stomach was swollen and didn’t disappear. For many weeks we were turned away from our GP with antibiotics time after time, until finally enough was enough mum decided to take me to A&E in the hope of getting some answers.
They decided to do an ultrasound scan to see if they could find the cause for the swelling. Mum waited nervously for the results as would any parent, but she had no idea what she was about to be told. Read More »
My name is James Bartlett, I’m 17 years old, 13 years post double organ transplant and this is my story.
I was born on 21st August 2001, perceived to be a healthy and well boy, however this was not to be the case. In March of 2004, my intestines died and I was taken to Alder Hey Hospital where I spent 4 weeks in the intensive care unit and then was put on another specialist ward for 2 months. Due to my intestines having have died, I was unable to digest any food or absorb fluids meaning I had to be put on a drip which sent TPN (a special feed) straight to my heart. This left me unable to drink or eat orally. Read More »
I was born in Warwickshire in 2002, after 6 days my parents were told that I had kidney failure. The doctor said that I probably had polysistic symptoms, when they were asked would they like to have me transferred to Coventry (where I live) or Birmingham Children’s Hospital, they decided to choose BCH.
A few years past, luckily I didn’t experience dialysis and in 2006 my parents were asked about the potential of a live transplant.
In 2008 my father, gave me one of his kidneys. Read More »
Every year, the Transplant Games happens in a different city around the UK. Every year, somewhere upwards of 700 transplant athletes compete in a wide range of sports, and at a wide range of abilities.
And every year, there are a few moments that stick out and you remember more than others. I think this year there were a lot of really special moments for me that I know will stay with me forever. Read More »
Happy International Women’s Day everyone.
This past year, we have seen women’s rights and the inequality that is still faced by women every day, be highlighted and discussed and there seems to be real progress on the horizon. There’s a long way to go, but we can also celebrate how far we have come. It’s been 100 years since women got the vote, the #Time’sUp and #MeToo movements have helped to shine a light and fight back against the awful treatment of women not just in the film industry but many other workplaces.
Things are happening, it seems to be an exciting time and we could see some real change in the next few years. Let’s hope so anyway.
And so, today is a perfect day to highlight the incredible women we all have around us, so here’s a few who inspire me…
This week was National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Who knew? Huh.
I am going out on a limb here and I’m going to guess that not too many of you knew that? I mean, why would you, it hasn’t really been on ANY mainstream media outlets…or did I miss something? Read More »
If any of you have a brother or sister, I’m guessing you all did that thing where one person says yes and the other says no and whoever gives up first loses? ‘Yes’, ‘no’, ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘yes’….and so on. It gets pretty tiresome, doesn’t it? It’s quite hard to keep up. Read More »