UNISON secretary, Janet Harvey, has been given the best birthday present she could have hoped for – a new kidney!
Just half an hour before the unexpected late night call Janet had been in the audience of West Side Story, a 50th birthday treat from her daughter, Vicky.
Within hours she was being wheeled to another theatre – to undergo a transplant at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Janet was told a suitable match had become available during a week of celebrations to mark her 50th birthday on July 26.
Nothing could top her surprise and delight on hearing the news her three year wait was finally over.
“You could have knocked me down with a feather,” she said. “There was someone else in front of me and so I was expecting to be told I’d be going home. I couldn’t believe it when I was told the operation would be going ahead.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Just two days earlier, Janet’s name had been suspended on the list while she took a much-needed week’s holiday in Italy, another birthday treat.
She said: “I couldn’t go abroad unless a hospital in Italy agreed to give me dialysis. It’s the dialysis that’s been keeping me alive. Both hospitals had to talk to each other and it all took a lot of planning. Thankfully, my name was put straight back on the list when I arrived home – and two days later an organ became available.”
Janet had the transplant four days before her birthday and she’s now back at home and making a good recovery.
She had to postpone a planned party with her workmates at UNISON’s North West headquarters in Manchester, but is planning a double celebration on her return to work in about four months time.
“It’s going to be quite a party”, she said.
She is not yet able to talk about the donor. She said: “I’m very conscious that someone had to die so I could live and enjoy a much better quality of life. I will always be grateful to the person who agreed to be an organ donor, and to the NHS for the wonderful care I’ve received”.
Janet had been undergoing dialysis three times a week at Hope Hospital in Salford before receiving the transplant at Manchester Royal Infirmary. She is now looking forward to being able to do so much more with her life.
Frank Hont, Regional Secretary of UNISON North West, said:
“Janet’s story highlights why we should all be proud of the NHS. Many of us take the NHS for granted and we don’t always appreciate the wonderful work it does until we or someone we know needs its services. This transplant will make a massive difference to Janet’s life and we should all celebrate the skill, dedication and care of the people who made it possible.”
Every year in the UK, more than 3,000 lives are saved or significantly improved by donated organs and tissue. You can increase that number by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register. Sign up on-line at www.organdonation.nhs.uk or telephone 0300 123 23 23.