Transplant puts brother in uniform

[okarol]

Transplant puts brother in uniform

    * Geesche Jacobsen Crime Editor
    * May 8, 2009

PAUL HUDSON has been wanting to be a police officer since the time he played cops and robbers.

Today, the father of one will achieve his dream when he joins 317 other police recruits who are sworn in at the Goulburn Police Academy.

But for Mr Hudson - about to be probationary constable Hudson - the journey was far from easy. He was diagnosed with kidney problems when he was 10 months old and by the time he was a teenager he had kidney failure. When he was 21 he needed dialysis four times a day. "It was pretty restrictive," he said.

He still managed to play a bit of touch football, but had no energy. "I just thought it's life, you come home from work and you sleep," he said.

After 11 months on dialysis, his sister Alison Dangerfield provided the answer to Mr Hudson's dreams when she agreed "almost instantly" to become a kidney donor. For her, life has not changed much except for annual check-ups.

"I'm just happy that he's got to achieve what he always wanted, and him being healthy is a big part of that," she said, adding it has brought the siblings closer together.

After the transplant six years ago, Mr Hudson, now 27, has renewed energy, even bagging four medals at the World Transplant Games in 2007.

"Without my sister that would not have happened," he says.

"You just realise how much better you feel. You've got your life back," he said, hesitating. "That sounds cheesy."

Mr Hudson, while happy to promote the need for more organ donors, almost seems a bit shy to be singled out.

His medical history was not widely known during his police training. "I don't think many instructors would even know. There is no special treatment. I wouldn't really want it either."

On Tuesday the Penrith resident will turn up for his first day at St Mary's police station.

Unlike during childhood games, he now sees policing as a career offering many options. He has a few years on general duties ahead of him, but is considering the Rescue Squad as an option down the track.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/transplant-puts-brother-in-uniform-20090507-awlq.html