Local Nurse Donates Kidney to Husband
30/10/2012
With first-hand experience of an organ transplant, Loughbrickland couple, Bernie and Ian Fitzsimmons are encouraging people to sign up to the donor register.
Bernie, a Nurse on Female Surgical at Daisy Hill Hospital, made the decision to donate a kidney to her husband Ian, who had been on dialysis for three years due to kidney disease.
She explains: “Ian was on peritoneal dialysis which meant he had the machine in his own home which he attached himself to for eight hours every day. Whilst like many dialysis patients he didn’t have to go into hospital every week, he was still quite tied. He experienced poor appetite and was prone to peritonitis which is a common infection in peritoneal dialysis patients.”
In 2010, Bernie decided that she would like to donate a kidney to Ian and so they began tests to see if she would be a suitable match. The tests were a success and so the couple were put on a waiting list for a transplant at the City Hospital in Belfast. However in Spring 2011 they were offered the opportunity to have the operation much sooner than they expected at Guys Hospital in London.
Bernie continues: “We arrived in London on Easter Tuesday and had our operations the next day. We had to stay in London for two weeks for Ian to have his blood checked and make sure everything was ok. But apart from me feeling a bit tired, thankfully all was well and we arrived home to prepare for our son’s wedding four weeks later.”
Bernie is now back working and says: “Living without a kidney has made no difference to my life apart from the need to attend an annual check-up. To find that I was a match was a great relief and thankfully we are no longer living with the stress of waiting and hoping for a donor. I would definitely do it again if I could.”
Ian says: “I was lucky that my wife was a willing and suitable donor but for many people this is not an option, so I would encourage everyone to consider signing up to the organ donor register, it really could make a difference to someone’s life.”
Organ donation saves and enhances lives. Around 300 people in Northern Ireland are currently on the list for a transplant and nationally, three people die every day whilst waiting for a suitable organ. To join the NHS Organ Donor Register and give the gift of life, log on to www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 1300123 123.
Photo
Bernie Fitzsimmons, Female Surgical Nurse at Daisy Hill Hospital is encouraging people to sign up to the organ donor register.
