Katherine and Simon Kearns.
WHEN Simon Kearns suffered kidney failure following a serious illness, his wife, Katherine, decided to give him a very special Christmas present — a new life.
She became a living donor, undergoing a transplant operation to give Simon one of her kidneys and save him from exhaustive dialysis treatment and an agonising wait for organ donation.
Former Cowes High School student Simon, 47, whose family live in Newport, was diagnosed with renal failure in February as a result of an illness ten years ago. It became clear something was wrong when he could not get over a bout of flu, despite leading a healthy lifestyle.
"His immune system had started attacking his kidneys, and he had lived with it for years without knowing. It’s one of those scary things that can happen to anyone," said landscape designer Katherine, 40, whose parents, Mike and Sue Starke, live in Pound Lane, Chale Green.
Simon, an accountant for the London borough of Lewisham, was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure after receiving treatment at he Royal Gloucester Hospital and the renal unit at Bristol Southmead, where he was told his only options were dialysis or a transplant.
He underwent home dialysis for a few months ahead of the operation, which proved to Katherine she had made the right decision.
"I decided pretty early on to put myself forward as a living donor, and I’m glad I did because the dialysis was absolutely horrific," she said.
"It was very painful for Simon to be plugged into a machine with a tube in his stomach, and he was so exhausted."
It was a particularly difficult time for the couple, who moved from the Island to Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, several years ago, as Simon’s father died at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice the same week Simon started dialysis treatment.
"It felt like we were being punched to the ground at every turn," said Katherine.
"But now, five weeks after the operation, I know I made the best decision.
"Simon couldn’t believe it when I told him I would give him a kidney and he felt guilty about putting me through an operation but seeing him decline so rapidly made it an easy choice.
"There was absolutely no question of not going ahead.
"We have joked about the kidney being an early Christmas present, but I was happy to do it. My gift was getting my husband back."