To mark Organ Donation Week, Laura Jackling, 39, is sharing her rollercoaster health journey from suffering renal failure at just 11, waiting years for a transplant and giving birth to her son nine weeks prematurely.
Laura who received a transplant at The James Cook University Hospital is sharing the impact her organ donation journey had on her and her loved ones.
At the age 11, Laura from Ingelby Barwick, was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital where she was diagnosed with kidney failure after repeated urine infections.
At the age of 20, Laura received her first transplant from her dad, who donated his kidney to ‘save her life.’
Although this kidney transplant saved her life, Laura still faced a downhill battle with a failing kidney, which was made worse when she had her son in 2015.
She said: “I had my son in 2015, who was born nine weeks premature due to my decreasing renal function. The stress of his birth and the pure exhaustion of having a tiny baby led to me going into renal failure when he was 6 months old.”
“Watching my baby see his mum unwell broke my heart”
Laura began her dialysis treatment at James Cook while holding on to the hope of receiving another kidney transplant.
But the biggest worry for Laura was seeing her baby watch his mother going through such a stressful time, as she was always in and out of treatments.
She added: “That was incredibly hard being away from my baby, it was very difficult being on dialysis for all of my son’s life up until the transplant.
“Watching my baby see his mum unwell broke my heart.”
Whilst not only impacting her health, Laura’s loved ones’ lives were also affected as they had to plan everything around her dialysis – like celebrating her son’s birthday in hospital while she was undergoing dialysis.
Despite a deteriorating health condition and a distressing environment for her family, Laura hoped one day she could find an organ transplant.
“I was shaking and sweating when I had the call”
In May 2024, Laura received a call that she felt was about to change her life. After waiting for eight years for a transplant, she was informed that she had found a donor.
Laura added: “I was shaking and sweating and couldn’t believe the call had finally come after eight years of waiting.”
Unfortunately, the transplant didn’t work and she had to undergo dialysis again while waiting for another transplant.
In May 2025, Laura finally received a kidney transplant and has made a fantastic recovery ever since.
She said: “This has saved my life as I had already been on dialysis for nine years at only 39 years old.
“The improvement in my life has been huge as I can dedicate time to my son and spend time with family and friends. I have a lot more energy now and have a lot less pain. Being able to eat and drink what I want has been amazing.”
As a mother of a nine-year-old, teaching assistant Laura is encouraging everyone to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
“Transplants change not only the recipient’s life but their whole families. My son was always very anxious about my health, so this has lifted a weight from all of our shoulders.
“It just takes two minutes to confirm your decision, which can save lives like mine.
“The road has been very difficult but the care I received from the home dialysis nurses and the team in the early transplant clinic at James Cook has been fantastic. I was always made to feel like a person rather than a patient with an empathetic approach given.”
Consultant nephrologist David Reaich said: “I have known Laura since early 2007 and have watched her battle through repeated challenges.
She has been truly inspirational in the way that she coped with the need for dialysis, while looking after her son, running the household and working as a teaching assistant. I don't know how she managed it all. The gift of life has really transformed things for her and her family.”
Anyone can confirm their decision by visiting the NHS Organ Donor Website.