Wife gave me special 40th anniversary gift ...one of her kidneys
Above, nurse Doris Miles and, right, Navy Surgeon-Lieutenant husband Roger A WOMAN gave her husband the ultimate 40th wedding anniversary gift – one of her kidneys to transform his life.
Steve Heavyside, 60, needed a donor after was stricken for more than three years with polycystic kidney disease requiring daily dialysis sessions.
He hailed wife Tricia “my heroine” for her act of kindness.
Steve said: “I can’t thank her enough. The transplant had transformed my life. I’m a new man.
“It was a perfect ruby wedding anniversary gift. The difference in my health, I just can’t describe.”
Steve, of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, added: “My health had really deteriorated before my transplant, my function had got down to six per cent. I was struggling to get my legs out of bed. You think, ‘how long have I got?’
“The doctors are amazed at the success of my transplant. The function is up to 50 per cent.”
Tricia, 61, offered to be a donor after medics at Royal Preston Hospital failed to find any other living donor match.
Tests showed she was a tissue match but not a blood match so they were given a chance to try blood-type compatibility.
It involved intensive plasma treatment to remove antibodies from Steve’s blood ahead of the transplant, so his body would have less chance of rejecting his wife’s kidney.
He was also given some of her antibodies to boost the chances of the kidney being accepted.
Tricia was in surgery for two hours removing a kidney while kitchen design boss Steve was in theatre for four hours. The father -of-three said: “The care from the NHS has been amazing.
“We are planning for the future. I couldn’t really do that before.”
He has been cycling again and hopes to soon play golf.
Tricia added: “When I saw Steve deteriorating I thought, ‘I have perfectly good kidneys and I wanted to help him’. We just cried when we saw each other for the first time after our operations.”