Banding together to save a lifeCiara Leeming
17/ 3/2008
MUSIC saved the life of jazz saxophonist Andy Williamson when he was hit by a deadly kidney disease.
Andy, 40, was struck down with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) - the world's most common life-threatening genetic condition - two years ago and was put on dialysis.
His life was saved when friend and organist Maff Potts offered to become a living donor. Their operations were in August and Andy is on his way to living a normal life.
He was able to perform at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry's Body Worlds exhibition to promote awareness of kidney disease.
Live donation, compared with using kidneys from dead donors, offers the best hope for patients, and anti-rejection drugs mean that tissue matches don't need to be exact.
The PKD Charity teamed up with the museum to mark the first national awareness day.
Authentic diseased kidneys from Dr Gunther von Hagen's exhibition of human bodies were used to show the devastating effects of the condition. Andy, whose mother also had a kidney transplant 16 years ago, spoke at the event and played his sax with fellow musicians Kathy Dyson and Steve Berry.
He said: "People aren't really familiar with this condition but it is very common. Often it goes undiagnosed. I have grandparents who died young who we now believe may have had it.
"Maff was incredibly generous to donate his kidney and it was a very moving experience for both of us. We are both now very keen to get as many people as possible thinking about organ donation - to sign up to the national register and help save someone's life."
Tess Harris from the PKD Charity said: "We are delighted that Body Worlds gave us the opportunity to generate awareness of PKD and enable people to understand what it might be like to have your kidneys slowly strangulated by cysts that multiply inside your body. The only treatment at present when kidneys fail is dialysis or transplant. As a result many PKD patients die waiting,for a transplant, owing to the shortage of kidneys. Yet, PKD patients have a better prognosis after transplant than with other forms of renal failure."
Andy and Maff are now campaigning to encourage more people to sign up to the Donor Register.
Three weeks after the transplant, they recorded the fundraising single Live Life Then Give Life under the name Big Buzzard and the Organ Grinders.
Click here to listen to the track.
http://www.myspace.com/organgrindersClick here to view the video.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wQjHsVS15XoClick here to find out about being a living donor
http://www.haveoneofmine.com/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1041126_banding_together_to_save_a_lifePHOTO: Saxophone player Andy Williamson who has had a kidney transplant, at Body Worlds
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