I can now focus on my wedding and having children after my dad gave me a second chance by donating his kidney
A West Lothian man who was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney disease, has been given a second chance at life after his father stepped in to donate his kidney.
Kieran Innes from Livingston, first learned of the diagnosis after visiting hospital in July 2022 with impaired vision, high blood pressure and an intense headache. The disease had reduced the 27-year-old’s kidney function to just 10 per cent and within a month, Kieran started dialysis three times a week at St John’s Hospital.
An appeal for a donor saw an incredible amount of people come forward to save Kieran from a future on dialysis, including some of his closest friends and extended family members.
But it was Kieran’s father Brian who emerged as the most compatible match and the pair underwent the lifesaving transplant operation at The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in March last year.
Reflecting on their experience ahead of Father’s Day, both Brian and Kieran are filled with gratitude and Kieran has made a full recovery, returned to work as a chef, and is now preparing for his wedding to fiancée Lara on July 5 in Uphall, West Lothian.
Kieran said: “Since the transplant, my life has changed completely and I’m doing really well. The operation not only kept me alive, but it has allowed me to live my life how I want to. I am now able to focus on the things I should at this stage in my life, and enjoy the things I love doing with the people I love the most.
“I am back to working full time and can focus on my future with my soon-to-be wife and having children. Those two years following my diagnosis and during dialysis really do feel like a bad dream. The difference between before the transplant and afterwards is like night and day.
“Thanks to my dad, I feel like I’ve been given a second chance. I can't thank him enough for the incredible gift he gave me, and I’ll never be able to express how grateful I am to him.”
Loving father, Brian Innes, said: "The donor matching process was relatively straightforward; I discovered my blood group was O positive therefore compatible for Kieran and as his father I was a 50 per cent tissue match. When it was confirmed that I could donate, the living donor transplant team were in touch regularly and were always available for information."
The 63-year-old from Prestonpans added: “If anyone is thinking of coming forward as a donor, I would like to reassure them that personally, I have had no issues and am living life as normally as I was before the transplant. There are risks – like with any surgery – but seeing Kieran healthy and happy is the greatest reward any father could ask for, and the difference now to when he first went on dialysis is incredible. It really was a no-brainer for me to donate my kidney to my son.”
John Terrace, Consultant Transplant Surgeon at NHS Lothian said: “This is a truly inspiring story of family and hope. We are thrilled to see such a positive outcome for Kieran, and we are incredibly grateful to Brian for his generosity and willingness to give his son the gift of life. Living donors really do change lives.
“Their journey is a testament to the transformative impact of living kidney donation. We wish Kieran and his family the very best.”
Kieran added: “The renal team within NHS Lothian were amazing, and I’d particularly like to pass on a big thank you to the brilliant staff involved in my dialysis at St John's Hospital, as well as the surgeons who undertook the operation at the RIE.”
For more information about organ donation you can visit the NHS Lothian website.