Royal marine comes home from the front to donate his kidney

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Royal marine comes home from the front to donate his kidney and save his little boy's life

By Tamara Cohen
Last updated at 12:31 AM on 29th December 2009

Returning home after an eight-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, Royal Marine James King might have expected some rest and relaxation.

But he had another mission to complete - saving the life of his little son.

Marine King, 29, gave one of his kidneys to three-year-old James Junior. And two months later, both father and son are thriving.
James King on his 6ft 4in father's broad shoulders

Fighting fit: James King on his 6ft 4in father's broad shoulders

James Junior had been in and out of hospital throughout his life after doctors diagnosed a kidney malfunction while he was in the womb.

Marine King and his wife Louise, 33, feared their son would never live a normal life.

‘Little James’, as they call him, was put on the organ transplant list aged two, and his father was found to be a match.

 
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But the couple were told they would have to wait until he was at least seven before he was big enough to accept an adult organ, especially from his father, who is 6ft 4in.

While Marine King was in combat in the Middle East, his son’s condition deteriorated and doctors decided to take the risk. Just four weeks after he came back, he underwent the operation which has changed his son’s life.

Playing with James at their home in Yeovil, Somerset, Marine King said: ‘Louise and a lot of our relatives had tests to see if they were a match, but I really wanted it to be me so that I could do this for him.

‘Luckily so far it has worked, and it’s a miracle how much he’s changed.’
James King Junior after his transplant

A new lease of life: James Junior after his transplant

In June James contracted peritonitis, which meant he had to travel to hospital three times a week for dialysis on a machine used for adults.

Mrs King said: ‘That was the lowest point for me. He didn’t want to get on the machine and was screaming and crying. It seemed so big and he’s so small.

‘James was back the next month and I picked a date for the operation.’ Her husband, who joined the Marines at 18, was on his second tour of Afghanistan with 3 Commando Brigade.

The couple met when she was in the Royal Navy and they were stationed at a base in Norway. Both have also served in Iraq.

Mrs King, who is now her son’s full-time carer, hopes he will be able to start school in September.

Most organ rejections happen within two months of the transplant and he is slowly being weaned off the anti-rejection drugs.

Doctors hope he will soon be able to eat normally for the first time early in the New Year.
JThe Kings met while serving in Norway

Wedding day: The Kings met while serving in Norway

Although he will eventually need another transplant, it is hoped his father’s kidney will see him through his school years.

His mother said: ‘This has given him a new lease of life. He is like a different little boy. Before the transplant he got tired on a short walk or after playing for a little while, and with other children he was quiet and withdrawn.

‘Now he’s full of energy and raring to go.’

Marine King is on light duties at a base in Plymouth. He spent three weeks recovering from the threehour operation to remove his kidney at Southmead hospital in Bristol, after which the organ was transported to the children’s hospital and placed into James Junior.

It was two days before he saw his son again, in an intensive care ward. He was full of tubes and alarms, and we were just hoping it would work,’ he said.

‘Just seeing little James like this makes it all worthwhile.

‘For me it would just be great for him to start having a normal childhood. When I’m away I’d love know he’s not in hospital, and look forward to hearing what he’s been up to at school.

PHOTO BELOW: A new lease of life: James Junior after his transplant

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1239045/Royal-marine-comes-home-donate-kidney-save-little-boys-life.html##ixzz0b2x0wAJ8