Mother's battle to save son's life

[okarol]

Mother's battle to save son's life

Oct 14, 2007 7:50 PM

A Taranaki woman has battled a year-long personal challenge to make it to the operating table to help save her son's life.

Linda Malone is the first graduate of a new programme that hopes to improve New Zealand's low organ donor rate.

Eleven-year-old Hayden Malone needs a new kidney. If he does not get one soon he will need dialysis.

"He was quite an energetic sort of boy really. He's just slowed down in the past year or so," says Bernie Malone, Hayden's father.

Tests revealed his mother Linda Malone would make a compatible donor.

"I thought about it and I thought I'm going to do it, it's for Hayden," she says.

But she was turned down.

Linda says she was told that she would have to lose at least 20 kilos before she could donate the kidney.

At the time she weighed 90 kilos.

She says she felt huge guilt and frustration.

"I said I don't think I can do this."

Around a dozen New Zealand parents are currently in this predicament. They are compatible kidney donors but unable to help their children because they weigh too much and their weight means it is too risky for their own health to be left with just one kidney.

Transplant surgeon Professor Stephen Munn says it is tough to say "no" to parents but it is a clear cut clinical decision.

"It's an increasing proportion of all our live donors now that need to lose weight to be suitable donors. We have a cut off in terms of body mass index of 30, and that's reasonably hard to achieve these days."

But thanks to Kidney Kids New Zealand, Linda has. They approached Weight Watchers who now sponsor parents to help them lose weight to donate a kidney.

Linda is the first graduate. She has lost not 20 kilos but 33, picking up the Weight Watchers Inspirational Slimmer of the Year award to boot.

"I knew she could do it," says Bernie Malone.

"When you've got Hayden to look at every day and you are thinking 'well he needs this kidney, I'm gonna have to do it' and along the way he was always looking at me watching what I was eating and reminding me I'm not allowed to eat that."

Next week Linda and Hayden travel to Auckland for their transplant operations.

"I'm really proud and happy. Excited.," says Hayden.

"Hopefully by Christmas we'll have a new boy," says Bernie.

To preserve her remaining kidney, Linda will now have to keep the weight off for the rest of her life.

"I think any mum could do it if they had the chance to do it," she says.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1403192