Joseph in Games two years after kidney op
BRAVE BOY RECEIVED TRANSPLANT FROM HIS MUM AT THE QMC
A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy will compete in the British Transplant Games only two years after receiving a new kidney at a Nottingham hospital.
Joseph Turkentine received a kidney transplant from his mother Sara, 36, at the Queen’s Medical Centre in 2022.
Just after Joseph, from Cambridge, had turned two, his health started to take a turn. On the way to nursery in August 2020, he had a seizure and was later diagnosed with epilepsy.
Although this was a scary experience for the family, his epilepsy was managed well with medication.
He had always been smaller for his age and didn’t gain weight well and, by March 2021, Joseph’s weight had plummeted.
One morning he woke up with really puffy, swollen eyes. Assuming it was an allergy, the doctors prescribed antihistamines.
Four days later, Joseph’s parents were changing his nappy when they noticed a swelling. It continued after antibiotics and Joseph was taken back to hospital and diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome after a urine sample and blood pressure reading.
They spent the next month in and out of hospital to treat the oedema and high blood pressure, but unfortunately, Joseph didn’t respond well to the steroids.
The family was sent to specialists at the QMC, a two-hour drive away from their home, for further investigation.
The QMC performed a biopsy which showed that Joseph’s kidneys were already functioning at around 50 percent. The prospect of dialysis and a transplant was then discussed and, without hesitation, Joseph’s mum and dad both said they’d happily donate one of their kidneys, should it come to that.
Sara said: “We were shocked when we found out. We weren’t expecting it because, usually, children with nephrotic syndrome manage it well and they tend to grow out of it by their teenage years.
“It was a bit of a shock to us, but I don’t think we really had time to properly process it all.”
Joseph was really unlucky, and even surprised the consultants, at how quickly his kidney function
It was a bit of a shock to us, but I don’t think we really had time to properly process it all
Mum Sara
dropped and by the end of May 2021, he was on dialysis.
Joseph’s parents then called the living donor coordinators at the hospital and got themselves tested.
Joseph’s dad was ruled out as a suitable donor. Mum, Sara, then began her tests, and the couple sent a message to other family members in case they also wanted to be considered.
Luckily, Sara was deemed a suitable match and by January 2022, had completed the tests.
They were given a date of March 2022 for surgery.
However, due to one of Joseph’s blood test results, the surgery was cancelled the night before it was scheduled.
A new surgery date was timetabled for June 2022, the day after Joseph’s fourth birthday, and thankfully this time the transplant went ahead successfully.
His new kidney started working straight away, and if anything, it worked “too well”.
He was exuding large amounts of urine which led doctors to replace lots of essentials such as magnesium and potassium for the first few days.
However, a week later, Joseph experienced a reoccurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) which meant he needed plasma exchanges and rituximab infusions over the following months.
It was really deflating for the whole family, who had been warned it might happen but assumed it’d be right away – so they thought they were out of the woods.
However, Joseph has now spent 18 months without reoccurrence and the family is thankful every day that the treatment worked.
Joseph is a “normal five-year-old boy bouncing around”, while Sara doesn’t notice any difference in her ability to perform any activities.
Joseph will now compete in the British Transplant Games in Nottingham in August, as part of the Nottingham Children’s team where he had his transplant.
Sara said: “When we went last year, Joseph got to see some of the older children that have been through the same thing and that really helped him.
“He’s seen that they’re very proud of their scars and therefore he’s a lot prouder of his scar and he’s happy to take his top off when he’s in the swimming pool, and seeing the older children being very athletic as well gives us an idea of what we can expect from Joseph. He can still be active and strong and continue to be healthy while having a transplant. We want to reiterate that life is quite normal with one kidney.
“Also, the Transplant Games aren’t just for the transplanted person, but for the whole family.”