Dad saves life of stranger by donating organ whilst alive after chat with wife
A dad has saved the life of a stranger by donating his kidney - despite having never met them.
Paul McVeigh, a retired MMA fighter who now runs a gym in Glasgow, decided to become a donor after a chat with his wife about a relative's experience with dialysis. Paul underwent tests to see if he could donate and was thrilled to find out he was a match for three people waiting for a transplant.
Speaking to the Daily Record, 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."
He continued: "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 out-weighed 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.
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"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.
"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."
Paul wants to encourage others to donate now (Glasgow Live)Paul, originally from Northern Ireland, said it all went to plan, and he was up and walking within a couple of days. Then, within a few weeks he felt pretty normal but continued to take it easy. After three months Paul returned to coaching and taking part in jujitsu and weightlifting. The dad says that he is just as healthy as before with the donation having no impact on his life.
Paul admits that his experience has inspired him to take better care of himself. He said: "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."
He now hopes to inspire others to donate, as over 400 people in Scotland are currently waiting for a living kidney transplant. Paul said: "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."
People can donate to a loved one or altruistically to a stranger on the waiting list. Since the first surgery over 60 years ago, there have been 1,905 kidney transplants from living donors in Scotland, with 95 taking place in 2023. Over 100 people in Scotland have altruistically donated a kidney since 2006.
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."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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