Transplant daughter has her baby

Transplant daughter has her baby

By Debbie Waite

After years of illness and infertility, Claire Davies poses proudly with the child the doctors said she would never have - and her mum who made it possible.

Mrs Davies, 38, from High Street, Wheatley, gave birth to Francesca Patience on Thursday morning.

And one of the first people on hand to congratulate her and her husband Mark, 38, was her mum Carole Newman, 63, who gave her daughter a life-saving kidney in 1998.

Mrs Davies, a former teacher at Wheatley Primary School, said: "If I had to sum up how I'm feeling in one word it would be: 'Blessed'.

"After all these years of waiting, Francesca is just perfect and without the kidney my mum gave me I could not have dreamed of this day."

Mrs Davies learned she had kidney disease as a teenager.
advertisement

But it was not until her first job as a teacher at Rose Hill First School she found out her kidneys were dying.

After four years of dialysis, Mrs Newman, also from Wheatley, insisted her daughter consider her as a living donor.

And on April 19, 1998, the transplant took place at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

But even though Mrs Davies' life was transformed by the transplant, her heartache was not over. Doctors revealed years of disease had made it unlikely she would conceive.

The couple embarked on IVF treatment, but this failed.

Then, after seven years of trying to conceive, the impossible happened.

Mrs Davies said: "When the pregnancy test said 'positive' I did not believe it. And now she is finally here it's all so scary and exciting.

"We've given Francesca the middle name Patience simply because of all the patience we've had to have in waiting for her!

"But last week, my stars said I would: 'Have to have patience to have peace' so it seemed meant to be."

Proud grandmother, Mrs Newman said she was head over heels with her new granddaughter.

She said: "This is the best result ever and she is beautiful. I couldn't be happier."

Proud dad Mr Davies added: "The whole process has been so long and unbelievably tortuous, but now she is here and both she and Claire are safe and well, I just want to sit back and enjoy it."

THERE are 67 people waiting for organ transplants in Oxfordshire - but 13 people have died here in the past four years waiting for a suitable donor organ.

And doctors warn there will be more deaths unless more organs can be found.

The Oxford Mail is running a campaign to encourage more people to sign the Organ Donor Register.

We would also like to speak to other people with experiences of organ donation, whether they are on the waiting list or have already received a organ transplant. Please call Debbie Waite on 01865 425428 or email debbie.waite@oxfordmail For information on organ donation, call 0845 606 0400 or go to www. uktransplant.org.uk

http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2411550.0.transplant_daughter_has_her_baby.php