Lad’s op joy after 9yrs on dialysis

THE family of a boy who had dialysis for 12 hours day for nine years are backing our campaign.

Twelve-year-old Matthew Pietrzyk was on 18 tablets a day after he had his kidneys removed, with a one in 650,000 chance of finding a match.

His dad did a video when he took part in the Great North Run to raise awareness in 2015.

It was seen by GNR competitor Edward Batch, who donated his kidney to transform Matthew’s life.

“Edward is my real-life superhero. He has given me my life back and I’ll never be able to thank him enough,” said Matthew. Dad-of-three Edward, 40, of Hinckley, Leics, added: “I just thought, ‘I’ve got two kidneys, someone else can have one’.”

Carpenter Craig, of Glenfield, Leics, said: “Around 96% say they would be happy to take an organ, but only 36% are on the register and carry donor cards.”

Matthew, who was diagnosed with congenital nephrotic syndrome at five weeks old, is now recovering after his life-saving op in 2016.

We revealed last week how Max Johnson, nine, finally got a new heart following a months-long wait.