‘To get news like this was just devastating’

A DUNDEE woman who requires dialysis three times a week today appealed for people to register and become an organ donor.

Kathleen, O’Neill, from Craigiebank, was told she only has 5% kidney function.

The 61-year-old spoke out after reading Nadir Mahmood’s plea to encourage people to get tested to see if they are eligible to be a live donor in the Tele.

Now she wants to urge members of the public to sign up.

Kathleen’s problems with her kidney’s first came to light four months ago when she began to feel unwell.

Speaking about when medics told her that she only had 5% kidney function, she said: “I just burst into tears.

“I didn’t go to the doctor, I just felt unwell and really tired. But then I had to go to the doctor who sent me to the hospital where I was admitted right away.

“It just hit me like a block of bricks.

“To get news like that is devastating — I don’t know anybody that can be a live donor.

“Its really more about urging people to come forward and donate.

“I want people to think about how they would feel if they were given devastating news like this.

“The more people who donate, the more organs will be available.

“The support that I got from the dialysis unit was absolutely fantastic — the nurses from the unit were outstanding.”

To get on the transplant list — which Kathleen says for her is a few years down the line — patients have to go through numerous tests to see if they are eligible.

She said: “I don’t know if I’m going to