Skier strikes gold after mum donates kidney

* Published Date: 07 April 2008
* Source: Edinburgh Evening News
* Location: Edinburgh

Skier strikes gold after mum donates kidney

By GARETH ROSE

WHEN Kevin Mochrie was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, he feared it would destroy his promising skiing career.
But a precious gift from his mother meant he could return to the slopes.

Now, after overcoming the life-threatening disease and a transplant operation, he has won four golds at the Winter World Transplant Games in Finland.

In his first major international tournament, the 41-year-old from Leith collected a clean sweep in the slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom and the parallel slalom, a head-to-head race.

It is a far cry from a decade ago, when his career as an instructor was unexpectedly brought to a halt.

Mr Mochrie said: "Over a few months I began to gradually feel more and more unwell. I would have a sore head, lethargy, and would get out of breath. It was like being constantly hungover, I felt sick and tired."

After returning to the UK at the end of the season, he decided to see a doctor.

"By May or June, 1997, I was sure there was something wrong," he said. "I went to the doctor, explained the symptoms, and he thought it was diabetes.

"However, after doing blood tests, he immediately told me my kidneys were almost finished."

He was suffering from a relatively rare condition called IGA nephropathy or Berger's Disease, which prevents blood being able to pass through the kidneys so it can be cleaned.

He was put on dialysis and the organ donor waiting list, but then his parents Maureen, 67, and Robert, 69, who live in Penicuik, stepped in.

Mr Mochrie said: "They were both prepared to be the donor but because of my dad's joinery business, it made more sense for my mum to be the donor. She went through millions of tests which took the whole winter. It was enormously stressful.

"It was momentous what she did, but we were fairly matter of fact about the whole thing. It was a great thing for mum to do."

The four-hour operation took place on August 19, 1998. For once, his high levels of fitness actually acted against him as it made his body more likely to reject the kidney, which it did twice, but with the help of steroids he managed to pull through.

During last month's championships, dialysis and kidney worries were the last things on his mind as he skied to four golds.

Mr Mochrie said: "I have to take medicine for the rest of my life. At the games when everyone sat down at breakfast they had their own little package of drugs."

Mrs Mochrie said she was "very proud" of her son's achievements. "I never had to think twice about giving him my kidney. If he needed it, and it was a match, then I was ready to do it," she added.

REGISTER NEEDS MORE PEOPLE TO HELP SAVE LIVES
THE Scottish Government is trying
to raise the profile of organ donation and increase the number of Scots joining the NHS Organ Donation Register (ODR).

Research shows there is huge support for organ donation in Scotland with around 93 per cent of the adult population in favour.

However, despite this, only 27 per cent have registered on the ODR and there remains a real shortage of organs and a desperate need for donors.

This kind of so-called passive endorsement remains a major challenge with around 700 people waiting on a transplant. It has also led to calls for a system of presumed consent, where instead of having to put their name down to donate their organs after death, people have to say if they want to opt out.

About 40 per cent of relatives of deceased – but potential organ donors – refuse to let a transplantation go ahead. Around 50 people die each year in Scotland during that wait for a donor.

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