Bristol couple share kidney donation story on World Kidney Day

In January, Neil Woolley was lucky enough to receive a kidney from his partner Kate Warburton, making him the 100th person to receive a kidney at Southmead Hospital this financial year.

As part of World Kidney Day on Thursday March 9, the couple from Knowle are sharing their experience of kidney donation.

Neil, 37, had been living with chronic kidney disease for 20 years since he was diagnosed at 17 after experiencing a blood clot in his leg. Speaking about life with chronic kidney disease, Neil said: “It’s been tough, you wake up feeling really tired and like you’re twice your age.”

However, two years ago, he discovered that his kidney function had declined further and he would require a kidney transplant. Despite assuming that he would have to find a donor using a national register donation scheme, the couple were amazed to find out through testing that Kate, 33, was a suitable match.

After a three-hour operation, Kate’s kidney was successfully transplanted to Neil at the end of January.

Neil Woolley became the 100th person to receive a kidney at Southmead Hospital this financial year- photo: Ellie Pipe

The couple have been recovering well. In fact, Neil has described feeling like he has a new lease of life: “The fact that I can wake up in the morning feeling fresh and go to the shops is amazing. I just feel so much more clear-headed – I feel like I can go for a run.”

The pair have had five weeks off work so far for recovery, describing the process as “slow but steady”. Both are looking forward to returning to their respective workplaces soon. Kate is an emergency call handler for the police and Neil is a dividend coordinator at Computershare.

In the meantime, said Neil, “friends and family have been looking after us and sending cake and cards”.

Kate was overjoyed with the results: “It’s just wonderful to see that it’s worked and that the kidney has done what it’s supposed to do.”

On World Kidney Day, both the Bristol couple and North Bristol NHS Trust are advocating for awareness of kidney transplants and organ donation. Dr Jack Galliford, lead nephrologist for transplant medicine at North Bristol NHS Trust, said: “Pre-dialysis living donor kidney transplants, like Kate and Neil’s case, are considered the gold standard treatment for end-stage kidney failure.

“The biggest challenge is getting the message out there that you can come forward as a living donor and that your wellbeing can be the same as before you had the operation. Couples being a match for donation is also more common than you might think, so it’s possible to donate to a loved one and live life together in a better way.”

Neil also highlighted the importance of staying ‘opted in’ to the organ donation scheme in the event of death: “It takes only a few minutes and they could save up to nine lives!”

On reaching 100 adult kidney transplants in a year at Southmead Hospital, Dr Galliford said: “This is a huge milestone for us and shows that we are growing as a department again after the pandemic.”

The Bristol couple thanked the hospital for their care during and after the procedure, saying: “All of the staff at the hospital; housekeeping, nurses, doctors, specialists, and surgeons were excellent in both their treatment of us professionally and also looking after us emotionally”.

Looking to the future, the pair are looking forward to being more active again soon, attending folk festivals in the summer, and are even planning to take on a triathlon in the near future.

Main photo: Neil Woolley and Kate Warburton

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