Karen and Jenny's story

"I received a kidney from my living donor who was my sister just over 10 years ago.

When I was 16, I have a sore throat and was off sick for a weekend, and that's what started the whole illness - it was an autoimmune response. 

I had the biopsy on my 18th birthday and was diagnosed with chronic renal failure.  I was able to keep working full time, play hockey, and pretty much do what I wanted to do right up to 32, when things started to go down a bit and I needed a transplant.  

Jenny sat there listening while I was getting a fistula or dialysis and said "You're not doing that, where do I sign up!", and that's where it started.  

They booked us in for Good Friday, and we now call it Great Friday!

I was told when I went into recovery that they had taken Karen down, and it was about 4 or 5 hours they spent on each of us.  When she came out of recovery, they wheeled her past so we could have a wee wave!

Having Jenny donate her kidney to me has given me my life back.  I'm able to be there for my son, I'm able to do all my challenges with Jenny, exercise, work full-time.  And Jenny's there with me the whole time".

As a living donor to Karen, Jenny says,

"It's 10 years now and neither of us have had any complications, we are both just carrying on.  Each year we get a stark reminder when we enter ourselves into the Transplant Games.  We all have spare parts that we don't need.  Most people have 2 kidneys and I function perfectly with one.  Nothing changes with you, but someone's life will be saved".