A wife who donated her kidney to her husband to save his life opens up on the importance of organ donation and urges others to sign up as organ donor.
Sylvia Short, 73, did not think twice about giving up her kidney to her husband Ed Short, 74, who was suffering from polycystic kidney disease.
Ed, who worked in the health and social care sector before his retirement, was diagnosed with the condition in 1986.
His mother Audrey Cattanach had suffered from the same condition since Ed’s birth and later underwent a kidney transplant at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Moreover, a steady decline in his health and frequent hospital visits in 2021 prompted consultant nephrologist Dr Zahra Iqbal to advise Ed to start looking for a donor to avoid further complications.
Without any hesitation, Sylvia came forward to donate a kidney to Ed. She did not think she would be considered as she was not a blood relative, so the organs may not have been a match.
However, after much deliberation by the teams at Freeman Hospital, Sylvia was ecstatic to learn that she was able to donate her kidney to her husband and give him the gift of life.
She said: “I was delighted to be even considered as a possible donor because I observed a firm deterioration in his health and quality of life.
It was absolutely an easy decision to make and I had no hesitation in wishing to support Ed to regain his health, quality of life and former abilities.
“I would have been devastated if this had not been possible.”
Ed added: “I was extremely grateful and humbled with Sylvia’s decision, but very conscious of our ages and the possible risks, especially to Sylvia.
We appreciated through our conversations with specialist staff and understood that the whole process was very detailed and thorough, all risks, particularly to Sylvia, were considered at every stage with additional checks made to ensure all professional parties agreed and were satisfied that she was a suitable donor and all risks had been minimised.”
On 7 September 2023, the couple who has been married for more than 47 years and lives in County Durham, wished each other the best of luck and entered the next stage of their journey.
Ed successfully received a kidney from Sylvia and this selfless act of kindness saved her husband’s life.
Talking about how grateful he was and how his wife’s decision made a massive impact on his life, Ed said: “My own experience with Sylvia’s incredible support and gift has certainly improved my quality of life.
“I totally appreciate the immense importance and value of organ donation and the change it can make to your life and future. I would urge anyone reading this to strongly consider making the decision to register as an organ donor.”
Sylvia added: “Having been through this process, seeing the amazing improvement it has made to Ed’s health and quality of life, and realising that this has had no impact on my own, I would suggest that everyone considers being a donor to support others as it has saved and improved my husband’s life.
It only takes two minutes to register your organ donation decision, these two minutes could save someone’s life.”
Transplant nurse specialist Claire Milner, who looked after Ed during his pre and post-appointments at James Cook, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to look after Ed and Sylvia throughout their journey.
“They are such a positive couple, who I have no doubt will become amazing advocates for organ donation in the future. The difference organ donation can make to someone’s life is truly remarkable. Sylvia selflessly ‘gave the gift of life’ to her husband Ed and saved his life.”
Register your decision
Every day in the UK, someone dies waiting for an organ transplant, because there just are not enough organ donors.
Confirm your organ donation decision today by registering on the NHS register.