Voice star gets life-saving transplant from bandmate he hadn't seen for 15 years

28 July 2023 , 17:51

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Adam and Jimmy in hospital

Adam Isaac made his name ­singing to millions of viewers on

, where he earned rave reviews from judges Sir Tom Jones and Will.i.am. But he was lost for words when a bandmate he hadn’t seen for 15 years offered him a kidney after he appealed for a transplant in the Daily Mirror.

That life-changing gift will allow Adam to marry his sweetheart Lucy Rutland this weekend – with his donor Jimmy Carpenter as the guest of honour. Adam, 40, had relied on dialysis to keep him alive after his kidneys failed two years ago due to a rare disease. He initially had ­treatment ­backstage at gigs. But one night he collapsed in agony on the way home as his illness worsened. The singer then spent three days a week in hospital, hooked up to a machine to filter his blood.

Jimmy stepped in with his offer of kidney last year. The ­transplant had to be delayed due to Covid-19, but surgeons in Coventry finally performed it in November. Adam said: “When Jimmy called me, I couldn’t answer. I was too emotional because I knew what he was going to say. I had to compose myself and call him back 10 minutes later. It was the biggest thing he could possibly do for me.”

Adam and Jimmy before transplant

Pair during their days in a band

Jimmy, 40, added: “After the ­transplant, I could see the difference in the colour of Adam’s skin and the way he moved. He never stopped smiling. It’s incredible knowing the difference it has made. We talk a lot now, I think we always will. His gran even visited me over Christmas.”

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

The pair bonded over a shared love of music as teenagers in Devon and performed together in a string of bands, but later lost touch. Things might have stayed that way, if Adam had not been diagnosed with IgA nephropathy in December 2020 after struggling with crippling fatigue, headaches, and itchy skin.

The condition – also known as Berger’s disease – caused a build-up of antibodies that scarred his kidneys and put him at risk of a stroke. Dad-of-two Jimmy said: “Hearing what Adam was going through really got to me. He’s such a nice guy. I told him if he needed anything, a pint, a shoulder to cry on, or a kidney, he should let me know. At that stage, he had other people lined up to be his donor.”

Adam with his partner Lucy

The singer’s mum Sue was first in line, but she was ruled out when doctors found cancer in her kidney. Adam, from Sonning Common, Oxon, said: “She was devastated that she couldn’t donate, but the most important thing for me was that they got rid of her tumour. Without those tests they might not have found it in time.”

They set a transplant date at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for last October so Adam could keep gigging in the summer, perform at the ­city’s European Transplant Games, and propose to Lucy in Rome. After Covid scuppered that ­operation, Adam was told they would have to wait until December.

But the longer any delays went on, the more likely Adam was to ­deteriorate, which could make the transplant less effective. So they agreed to a new date at University Hospital in Coventry three weeks later. Adam said: “Before Jimmy went down for surgery I went over to his bed. We had a hug and a chat then I had to leave the nurses to do his checks. The operation went perfectly. The kidney started working as soon as they connected it up. When I woke up, I felt better straight away. I could tell the brain fog from the ­dialysis had lifted.”

Adam impressed The Voice judges (BBC/Wall To Wall/David Venni)

Jimmy spent the next few days sat by his friend’s hospital bed as they swapped stories and watched films until they were well enough to leave. Adam’s kidney function has now risen to more than 50% of a healthy adult’s – up from just 8% before his transplant. And he hopes it will keep on improving.

He has been rebuilding his strength at the gym with an instructor who is a fellow ­transplant recipient and braved the icy waters off Torquay to go surfing for the first time in years. Adam’s return to health since his operation also enabled him to tour ski resorts in the Alps with his band in April and return to Coventry last week to perform two songs at the opening ceremony of the British Transplant Games.

They included a cover of the Foo Fighters song My Hero, which he dedicated to Jimmy. Adam said: “After everything I have been through, it feels like my life is back on track and performing is so much easier than it was before. I often wonder how I can let Jimmy know how much it means to me. We are like brothers in a way. To have a friend who is willing to do something like that for you, it doesn’t get any better.”

* Information: organdonation.nhs.uk and britishtransplantgames.co.uk

Warren Manger