A woman who received a kidney from her brother is raising money to thank the unit where they were both treated.
Deborah Goodson was diagnosed with Goodpasture’s disease, a rare autoimmune disorder that can cause severe kidney damage, in 2006, and was put on dialysis.
Her husband and her younger brother were both found to be good transplant matches, and after her husband was found to have high blood pressure, her brother, Mark Tyler, went forward to give Deborah his kidney. The pair underwent the transplant operation in October 2009 and are both recovering well.
Now, Deborah wants to raise money to say thank you to the staff who treated her and Mark at the Renal Unit in Nottingham’s City Hospital. The money will go to Nottingham University Hospitals Charity, which supports the work that takes place at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital campuses.
She is holding a fundraising party for 250 people in Arnold on Friday 16th April, for which tickets have already sold out. The event will include a disco, live entertainment, a raffle and an auction.
“The reason I am doing this is because I would like to give something back to the unit,” said Deborah, aged 48, from Arnold. “I cannot thank them all enough for what they have done and are still doing for me.
“Over the last three years my life and my family’s life has been completely turned upside down. But with the help, care and support from everyone who we have come into contact with in the Renal Unit, the journey has been made more bearable.
“Having been so, so lucky to receive a kidney from my brother recently, we both feel we need to try to repay them in some way. The whole experience has been made so much easier by having such a professional team behind us. I will always be grateful for what they have done for us.”
Deborah, who has two sons aged 18 and 21, was diagnosed with Goodpasture’s disease after suffering from what she thought was a stomach bug.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Deborah. “It was such a big shock – I was in disbelief.”
Talking about her brother Mark, who is 40 and also from Arnold, Deborah said: “I love him so much for giving me his kidney. It has made such a big difference to me already, I feel so much better now. I’m really lucky.
“I have met some really special people who have not only saved my life, but are continuing to care for me and are always there to support me. I feel so lucky to have such a brilliant service available to us, I just want everyone to know! We want to raise money for the Renal Unit and also make people aware of how important organ donation is.”
To donate to the Renal Unit contact Deborah at deborah.goodson@sky.com or NUH Charity at charity@nuh.nhs.uk.
To see an article about Deborah Goodson in the Nottingham Evening Post, go to www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Kidney-donation-thanks-brother-sister/article-2010927-detail/article.html
Back
