Wincham dad gives gift of life to son (From Northwich Guardian)
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Wincham dad gives gift of life to son
8:30am Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News
By Emma Rigby
David Hind donated a kidney to his 24-year-old son, Neil
A COURAGEOUS father-of-three has been praised after he gave his youngest son the gift of life.
David and Wendy Hind, of Moss Road, Wincham, were devastated to discover their son Neil would need a new kidney before his 30th birthday.
The 24-year-old had been diagnosed with Alport Syndrome in 2010 – a rare genetic condition causing nerve deafness and kidney failure.
“Neil started with high blood pressure when he was about 17,” said 49-year-old Wendy.
“He was born with nerve deafness but it was never associated with anything – it was just the way he was.”
Following the diagnosis, David, Wendy and their other children, 21-year-old Sammy and 28-year-old Daniel, were tested to see if they could provide Neil with a new kidney.
The tests showed that Daniel was the best option but protective father David couldn’t bear to see both his sons in hospital.
Wendy said: “Dave said he’d rather it was him going through it than Daniel so he went ahead and donated his kidney on February 4.
“Neil could have waited up to four years on the transplant list and by then his kidney function would have dropped so much that he would have needed dialysis but thanks to Dave, Neil had the transplant in time and doesn’t need the dialysis.
“As a family, we are so proud of both of them and I’d like to thank Dave for giving our son a new life and a new future. And thanks to all the staff at The Royal Liverpool Hospital for their excellent care throughout the whole process.
“We’re not sure how long the kidney will last. You can expect to get up to 10 years from a deceased donor but because Neil’s is from a live relative, he could get 10 to 15 years out of it – we just don’t know.
“We just have to stay optimistic.”
Since being discharged last Monday, Neil is recovering well and looking forward to the future, with plans to move to Italy next year with his fiancé.
Wendy added: “The future looks optimistic now for all of us.
“Without organ donation our son’s future was bleak, so thank you hubby – you’re the best.”
