A GLASGOW dad who donated his kidney to a stranger has shared his story to help raise awareness of living kidney donation, after his gift sparked a chain of three transplants.
Originally hailing from Northern Ireland, Paul McVeigh, 41, donated his kidney in early 2023 after reading about altruistic kidney donation online.
Over 400 people in Scotland are currently waiting for a kidney transplant, with living kidney donation playing a vital role in increasing donation and transplantation rates.
A kidney from a living donor generally offers the best outcomes for patients in need of a transplant, and a healthy person can live a completely normal life with one working kidney.
People can donate to a loved one in need or can donate altruistically to a stranger on the waiting list who is a match.
There have been 1,905 kidney transplants from living donors in Scotland since the first pioneering surgery took place over 60 years ago, with 95 taking place in 2023.
Since 2006, over 100 people in Scotland have altruistically donated a kidney.
Paul, a retired MMA (mixed martial arts) professional who now runs a gym where he coaches the sport, had been thinking about donating a kidney altruistically for a while, when a conversation with wife Maeve, a doctor, cemented his decision.
Paul’s kidney was entered into the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme (UKLKSS) which triggered a chain of three matches.
His donation was scheduled for early 2023 at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
He said: “I was speaking to my wife about one of my grandparents who had been on dialysis, and she told me about patients she had treated who had renal failure, its impact on their lives, and the difference that kidney transplants can make.
“It really got me thinking about how I could change someone’s life in this way.
“There were loads of reasons that I wanted to do it – I’d worked professionally in sports for many years and I’ve been lucky enough to remain in good health my whole life.
“I was in a good place to donate physically and I wanted to pay forward my good fortune; my job also allowed me to take time off to do it.
“I pulled together a list of pros and cons on my phone which I continued adding to; after a year, the pros significantly outweighed the cons.
“Overall, it felt like a demonstrably good action – something that would make my children proud and which fell in line with the type of person I aspire to be.
“I went online and registered my interest with NHS Blood and Transplant, which led to a series of tests to find out if I could be an altruistic donor.
“My coordinator was brilliant – she made it really easy and kept me informed and reassured throughout.
“At the final stages, I knew I would be really disappointed if there was any reason that I couldn’t donate, so when I got confirmation that everything had been approved, I was really relieved and excited.”
Paul continued: “Going into my surgery, it didn’t feel like too big a deal, I don’t want it to seem like what I did was exceptional – I just went into surgery for a few hours.
“It’s the talent and skill of the surgeons, coordinators and other NHS staff that’s remarkable.
“Everything went to plan and I was up and walking a couple of days later.
“Within a couple of weeks I felt pretty normal, though I continued to take it easy.
“After three months I returned to my job coaching mixed martial arts, which involves lifting weights and taking part in jujitsu.
“Being down one kidney has had no impact on my life whatsoever – I’m just as healthy as I was before, though donating my kidney has encouraged me to take better care of myself.
“A few months after my donation, I got a letter from the individual who received my kidney to thank me for my donation.
“I learned it was a man around my age, and it does make me proud knowing that I’ve been able to change his life like this – it’s something that I’ll always be able to look back on.
“It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, but for anyone considering altruistic donation, I’d stress how glad I am that I did it.
“I’m living my life exactly the same way now that I would have done without donating, but I’ve been able to change the lives of three other people.”
Jen Lumsdaine, lead nurse for Living Donation Scotland, said: “For those with kidney failure who are facing treatment choices, we know that talking about living donation with family and friends can be challenging.
“The more we can raise awareness of living kidney donation the easier it is to talk about it.
“We also know that living kidney donation transforms lives – and we thank the donors and their support networks for this exceptional gift.”
