Everything started when I was about 6 years old. My parents asked for a second opinion, and I was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where I was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome.
They think I caught it through a sore throat, and instead of just going as normal, it went down and infected my kidneys. That’s where I continued to go to hospital until I was the age of 13, where my kidneys both failed and I needed a transplant. And I was put on the transplant list, where I waited 6 months.

Everything went very well, and I was in isolation, or intensive care, for two weeks. Then I went onto the normal ward. Unfortunately, the tablets that I was put on – one of them my body didn’t cope with very well, and I ended up – after going home after two weeks after the transplant, doing very well – back in hospital in isolation for 6 weeks, because I lost all my white blood cells.

I can remember going home, and being very happy to be home, but also quite frightened to be home. I think you get used to being in hospital, and knowing that security is around you, and if you’re scared, the nurses are there to reassure you. When you go home, you’ve kind of lost that and I can remember being extremely scared of sleeping, and being home, and knowing that my parents were probably pretty scared as well. I wanted to do all the normal things everybody else done, and my parents were very careful with me and I resented them, to a degree, when I couldn't do the things I wanted to do. Obviously, as an adult you understand why, but as a child you do not. But, yeah, I still used to do many things that probably they didn’t want me to do, but I still done it anyway. And I continue to do that as an adult, sometimes – from not being able to do things that I wanted to as a child.

But, really, I’ve been extremely lucky for the last 30 years, in that I haven’t had too many rejection episodes, and I’ve got on with my life. And every year we always have a party or a get-together, the family, for Lucky – my kidney’s name, my twin sister named it, very appropriately – to celebrate its birthday. And also to remember the person that – without them I wouldn’t be here today. And they gave me the most precious gift, which is life. And I will always be grateful for that. And I wish, I wish their family would have, could have known, how well I’ve done. And I have written a letter, but I’ve never heard anything back, so I can only hope that they know I’m still doing very well. And eternally grateful for what they did for me.

Rach – my twin sister. In the future, I have been told my kidney is functioning at only 21% now, so I do know I will need a transplant again. And I luckily have an identical twin sister who has looked after a kidney for me, and is continuing to do so. I do make sure she doesn’t have too much alcohol. And I know any of my family would always be tested to see if they could give me a kidney if I needed it, but my twin sister Rachel has always said she wants to be able to do that for me. And I would do the same for her the other way round – she’s everything to me. And she is my better, other half, definitely. She’s always there, as all my family is – they always know when something’s not right – but we just have a natural bond, that she knows whenever anything’s wrong. And I adore her – well, I adore both my sisters – they are very special to me. And yes, so one day I may well be carrying her kidney [laughs].
Which seems a little bit bizarre. But yeah, she’s always said she’d do that for me. And I will be eternally grateful when she does.