Mother gives kidney to son

Craig Clark is also one of the first patients taking a new drug, which helps stop rejection of transplanted kidneys. Craig, brought up in Pebblemill Close, Cannock, but now living in Guildford, Surrey, has had a total of four kidney transplants during his life. His most recent involved a kidney from his mother, Zandra James, of Baswich Lane, Stafford.

The last two transplants were at University Hospital, Walsgrave, Coventry, where the new drug is being tried.

"I had my first transplant when I was about 11 years old but the latest one, which was of a kidney donated by my mother, has been the best yet," said Craig, a management consultant.

"Words cannot express how I feel about my mother donating one of her kidneys for me. And the service I have received at University Hospital, Coventry, has been second to none.

"About a month after my transplant, which was in October, I was given a single dose of the new drug, which is called Eculizumab. It has helped to reduce the rejection that I was undergoing at the time and I had no side effects from the drug.

"So far I am much better than after my last transplant 10 years ago, when I had a major reaction to one of the drugs I had to take to reduce the chance of rejection."

Zandra said it had been challenging to see Craig go through dialysis and transplants over the years after he was born with very small kidneys.

"I had wanted to donate a kidney for him 10 years ago but the technology wasn't so well advanced then, so I couldn't," she said.

"Now I've done it – and, although the recovery from the surgery is tough-going, overall it's a joy to know I have given new hope for my son in the years to come."

Renal consultant Dr Rob Higgins said: "It's quite a big thing for anyone to donate one of their organs for someone else and is usually done by a family member or, sometimes, a friend.

"It shows a lot of love."