‘I WAS ON DIALYSIS THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR FOUR HOURS AT A TIME’

LESLEY COLES, 53, from Newbridge, was a busy new mum when she had to have one of her kidneys removed due to a reflux disease.

After almost 32 years she suddenly fell ill. Her remaining kidney had started to fail and she was placed on the transplant waiting list.

“Like many new mothers, I didn’t get much sleep when my son was born,” she said. “But as he approached his second birthday I was still feeling lethargic so I made an appointment with my doctor.

“After numerous tests, it was found that one of my kidneys wasn’t functioning properly following scarring caused by the reflux disease, so doctors decided to remove it.

“I was monitored for 10 years to make sure my overall health hadn’t been affected, and then I was discharged.

“All of that began to change five years ago when I had high blood pressure. I was urged by a colleague to have my kidneys tested, which revealed that my kidney function was dangerously low and that I would need a kidney transplant.

“I was put on the transplant list in July 2015 and I kept working full-time until December 2015 when I was rushed into hospital and four days later put on emergency dialysis.

“Up until the transplant operation I was on dialysis three times a week for four hours at a time.

“It was such a distressing time for us as my father had passed away in May and my sister was going through the process of being worked up to be a live kidney donor for me.

“Before all the tests were completed I received a call in June to say that a suitable kidney had been found. I had the operation the following morning.

“We had always been advocates of organ donation as a family, and welcome the new system in Wales.

“Now though, the subject of organ donation isn’t just a topic of conversation, it is a reality for my family, having lived through the process.”