Donor couple are the perfect matchFriday, February 06, 2009, 06:30
WHEN Pat Hyslop made her wedding vows, she meant every word.
But she did not realise how significant those words would be in years to come.
The 52-year-old, of east Hull, is donating a kidney to her husband, David, 53.
Cysts discovered on David's kidneys five years ago caused the organs to fail and he had to have one kidney removed in November.
He has to undergo dialysis treatment for four hours, three times per week, and was initially on the transplant waiting list before Pat was found to be a perfect match.
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She said: "We have been married for 30 years this April and I knew him for three years before that.
"We have vows – for richer for poorer, for better for worse, in sickness and in health.
"I took these vows and that's what I meant when I said them."
If the transplant is successful, David will not need any more dialysis.
David said: "I'm very grateful. I have been through a lot of operations, but this is new territory for Pat.
"I can tell her not to worry about it because you don't feel a thing. I can't thank her enough."
Once a date for the transplant has been set, the pair will go to St James's Hospital in Leeds to undergo surgery.
Pat said: "I have been through so many tests to make sure I am fit and healthy enough to do it.
"It's going to bring our lives back to normal. Everyone says I'm brave, but I don't see it like that.
"I see it as our lives and our lives have to keep going together.
"Eighteen months ago, our house was flooded. We lived in a caravan in the front garden for six months.
"You take what life throws at you and throw it back at it.
"This is just another obstacle in life that you have to work through."
Pat said she wanted to highlight what they were doing to help people learn more about living donors.
She said: "I want to raise awareness to let people know it can be done."
Although it is still rare for people who are not related to be able to donate a kidney, medical advances are making it more common.
Last year, between April and December, there were 666 living donor kidney transplants in the UK.
Of these, 62 per cent were between people who were related, while 35 per cent were unrelated.
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