New kidney gives Daniel, 3, gift of life at Christmas
HE may be only three but little Daniel Cornet has endured 14 operations in his short life so far.
He also faced a gruelling ten hours of treatment every night until last week – when he underwent a kidney transplant.
Daniel suffered kidney complications in the womb, which stopped the organs developing properly.
His mother, Louise Paton, said that after he was born, she and her partner Nicky Cornet were told Daniel had end stage renal failure.
The 37-year-old added: ‘It was absolutely horrendous and you really wonder how you are going to get through it.
‘He was 12 weeks old when we first got him home. He spent the first three months of his life in the Sick Kids hospital in Edinburgh.
‘It wasn’t until he was about a year-and-a-half old that he had spent the same amount of time at home as he had in hospital. We were never away.’
At ten months old, Daniel had to have one of his kidneys removed and was also placed on dialysis.
Miss Paton said: ‘That’s difficult for anyone to undergo but for a child it is extremely problematic. It’s hard on the body.’
Knowing Daniel would require a kidney transplant, Miss Paton and Mr Cornet, 40, decided they would search for a live donor as it would give their son the best chance of a normal life.
The couple, another family member and a friend got tested to see if they were compatible and luckily found a match.
Daniel and his donor, who wants to remain anonymous, spent Christmas at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
Miss Paton, from Cairneyhill in Fife, said: ‘He’s still sore and doesn’t want to get out of bed but he wants to play with his toys and his cheeky personality has returned.
‘His new kidney is doing an amazing job. We are praying it keeps up the good work.’
The mother wants people to consider organ donation and uses Twitter hashtag ‘Shareyourwishes’ to promote the cause. Miss Paton added: ‘It’s really important that people share their wishes about organ donation as ultimately it is the family’s decision.
‘But it could end up saving a life, so it really can make a difference.’