Brother donates life-saving kidney to sibling - by 'proxy'

Doctors had told Steven Paterson, from Orkney, that he was not a match for younger sibling Stuart.

But they also explained he could donate a kidney to somebody else, and that an anonymous donor would in turn be found for his brother.

Read more: Scotland's first 'heart in a box' transplant patients thank doctors for new lease of life

The scheme, called the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme (UKLKSS), is aimed at “difficult to match” patients whose friends and family want to donate but aren’t a compatible match.

Steven, 34, and his brother, 28, are both recovering at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after becoming part of an altruistic donor chain.

The arrangement meant that Steven was able to donate a kidney to an anonymous recipient, with Stuart also receiving one from a donor not known to him.

Read more: Opting in or out of organ donation 'should be legal requirement'

Stuart, a barman at the St Ola Hotel, Kirkwall, and a new father, has spent much of his life dealing with the effects of renal failure.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said after undergoing surgery last week.

“It’s brilliant – I can go back to a normal life and spend much more time with my family.

“Without Steven’s help, I wouldn’t be in this position now,” he said.

“I’m very, very thankful. No words will ever show how much I appreciate this.”

Steven had planned to donate his kidney directly to his brother after their mother, Pamela Dearness, was found not to be a match.

But last June, after months of testing and tissue matching, the transplant was called off at the 11th hour.

“It was the night before the operation that we were told Steven had a kidney stone,” Stuart said.

For the next three months, Steven had to go on a special diet to make sure he did not have too much protein in his system.

Read more: Ayrshire transplant patient's despair after contracting cancer from a donor kidney

But, after getting the all-clear, further tests found that Stuart’s body would reject Steven’s kidney – with his natural antibodies fighting against the tissue match.

This was a big blow for Stuart, who had hoped that a transplant would mean less time spent on dialysis and more time spent with his partner, Indie, and their baby daughter, Signey, born in May, 2018.

But the complications and setbacks of renal failure are not new to Stuart.

Told at just 14 years old that he would need a new kidney, he received his first transplant at 16 from a deceased donor.

Donated kidneys have a limited lifespan, however, and, after nine years, Stuart was forced to go back on dialysis.

“With renal failure you get mood swings,” said Stuart, who began a programme of home peritoneal dialysis three years ago, before eventually moving on to regular haemodialysis at Balfour Hospital’s Renal Unit.

“Some days you feel absolutely rubbish, and some days your energy jumps out from nowhere.”

Under the scheme, relatives of patients can give a kidney to someone else in need and, in return, their family member receives a transplant from a donor on the UKLKSS list. If the patient enters the sharing scheme with their friend or family member, the pair may be matched with another couple in the scheme, so that each recipient receives a kidney from the other’s friend or family member.

Or – as in Stuart and Steven’s case – the scheme can create a chain of transplants, triggered by a non-directed altruistic kidney donor (NDAD). This is where someone volunteers to donate a kidney to someone they don’t know.

Signing up to the scheme in December, the brothers said they were “over the moon” to hear in February that potential matches had been found for them both. Before long, they were preparing to head to Edinburgh for their surgeries.

“It’s still surreal,” said Steven.

The pair have thanked all who helped with Stuart’s care over the years, including Orkney Renal Unit, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.