Passenger from UK winched off cruiseliner for kidney transplant

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5195347/Passenger-winched-off-cruiseliner-for-kidney-transplant.html
Passenger winched off cruiseliner for kidney transplant

A woman awaiting a kidney transplant has been winched off a cruise liner after an emergency donor
was found.

By Richard Savill
Last Updated: 11:04PM BST 21 Apr 2009

Judy Stockwell, 64, who has been on a transplant list for two years, was alerted on board the Queen Victoria as she sailed to Spain with her husband, Roger, 66.

The vessel was 50 miles south west of The Lizard in Cornwall when she received a call at 4am on Tuesday to say there was a suitable kidney for her at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, if she could get there within five hours.

The crew of the liner contacted the Coastguard and a helicopter from Royal Navy Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall winched Mrs Stockwell from the ship at 5.50am.

The helicopter landed at Luton Airport, Beds, and Mrs Stockwell was then taken by ambulance to the hospital.

A spokesman from the hospital said: "Once you have a kidney from another patient, that organ only remains viable for transplant for a limited time. Fortunately in this case the patient arrived just in time."

Lt Cmdr Andrew Drodge, flight commander of the Sea King, said Mrs Stockwell was "very relieved but quiet" during the two hour flight.

"As you can imagine she had been through a lot," he said. "One moment she was on board a luxury cruise liner at sea and the next she was aboard a helicopter in a race against time heading for a major operation.

"She had no idea anything like it was going to happen."

Mrs Stockwell and her husband were bound for Barcelona and were hoping to visit their daughter in Majorca.

After her arrival at the hospital, Mrs Stockwell, from Bedford, said: "I am so grateful to everyone who helped to get me here in time. This is going to change my life.

"I have been on dialysis twice a day. It has been really hard, especially as my daughter and grand daughter live in Majorca. It is so difficult to see them."

Her husband added: "We knew we had to get to the hospital and everyone just rose to the occasion."

Describing the airlift, Mrs Stockwell said: "It was scary because they put a survival suit on me, and a big helmet, and a life jacket, which is very heavy."

Addenbrooke’s Hospital said that Mrs Stockwell was in a “stable” condition following her operation.