Cilla show must go on despite weather havoc
‘ALTRUISTIC DONOR’ SETS IN MOTION SERIES OF TRANSPLANT OPERATIONS WHICH WILL SAVE LIVES
PERFORMANCES of Cilla the Musical went ahead as planned last night despite the weather.
And Newcastle’s Theatre Royal has confirmed today’s shows will go on too.
The hit show was cancelled on Thursday due to heavy snow but the venue has decided to continue with the final three performances.
But the move has sparked anger from some ticket holders, who say the roads are still not safe and want refunds to be offered.
Gill Wake had planned to travel from Cramlington for the show with her three daughters after paying around £150 for the tickets as Christmas presents.
But the 64-year-old said: “You either have to get there or lose your money but the roads around here aren’t safe, and a lot of people won’t be coming from Newcastle.
“These were our Christmas presents and it was supposed to be a nice night together.”
A Theatre Royal spokesperson said: “We are closely monitoring the [weather] situation and should anything change [in terms of the performances going ahead] we will endeavour to inform our customers at the earliest opportunity via our website and social media pages.” A devoted couple are about to go under the knife together in an amazing “chain” of kidney transplants.
As soon as Cheryl Gascoigne’s husband Paul learned that a genetic condition had left her in need of a new kidney, he offered to donate one of his own.
After two cancelled operations, Cheryl was heartbroken to learn that Paul had gone from being a perfect match for her to an ineligible donor.
But the couple, whose wedding hit the headlines in 2007 due to their famous namesakes, have been given a chance to save Cheryl’s life – and two others – through a “chain” of operations across the country.
Usually the “paired pool” scheme will involve a donor and recipient who are incompatible with each other being matched with another donor and recipient pair in the same situation.
The kidneys are then swapped between one incompatible donor and recipient and another mismatched pair.
But in Paul and Cheryl’s case, the life-saving chain of operations has been kicked off by an “altruistic donor” – someone who has no known recipient but just wanted to donate a kidney.
“It’s like buying a house,” said Cheryl, who lives off Old Durham Road, Gateshead.
“The altruistic donor will donate to someone from another couple, their partner will donate to me, and Paul will donate to someone from the kidney transplant waiting list.
“It means that person will now get a kidney from a living donor, whereas previously they’d have had to wait for someone to die.”
The exchange this month will see all six patients go under the knife in a series of interlinked operations – performed in a single day at four different hospitals, with three organ donors and three recipients.
Occupational health worker Cheryl, 44, had no idea she suffered from polycystic kidney disease until nine years ago.
When doctors told Cheryl she would need a kidney transplant, Paul, 58, offered straight away and initially the pair were a perfect match.
But the operation was cancelled after assessments revealed Paul had high blood pressure.
Months later the pair, parents to Alfie, 12, and Harry, 11, were told he was no longer a viable donor for Cheryl.
“I had to take some time off work because I just felt broken,” Cheryl said.
“When you think there’s light at the end of the tunnel and then that light went out – it was just awful.”
But the couple were given another chance when doctors at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital offered them a chance to go into a paired pool scheme.
In January they were told they had been entered into a chain of six people.
Cheryl, who is also mum to Adrian, 22, and Sarah, 21, said: “The only reason it’s been successful is because of an altruistic donor, which is just amazing.
“We’re due to go in for the surgery in March. I’m not nervous for myself as I don’t have a choice any more, but I am for Paul because it is technically unnecessary surgery for him.”