The father who shed 6st... so he could help save the life of his son
WHEN Alan Smith’s young son needed a kidney transplant, the devoted f ather vowed to do everything he could to help him.
Rather than wait – and hope – for a donor, he volunteered to give up one of his own organs for little Matthew.
But his hopes were dashed when he was bluntly told by doctors that, at 22st, he was too overweight to undergo the life-changing operation.
So the 46- year- old f ather- of- two embarked on a fitness programme that would see him lose 6st in order to help his nine-year-old son.
And this summer, father and son had the surgery which has changed their lives – by making them both healthier.
Matthew has rejoined classmates at Glendale Primary School in Pollokshields, Glasgow, while Mr Smith has gone back to work as director of operations at a renewable engineering consultancy.
While Matthew has been given a new lease of life thanks to his donated kidney, his father – once unable to even dash for a train – has been bitten by the fitness
‘I am so proud of what
Alan has done’
bug. Matthew was just 12 weeks old when Mr Smith and his wife Jan Gillon, 46, discovered that he had been born with only one small kidney and had chronic renal failure.
They were told that within a few years he would need a transplant or regular dialysis, which could involve up to five hospital visits a week.
The family would also have to wait until Matthew was old enough to go through the complicated transplant procedure.
Mr Smith said: ‘I was keen to donate one of my own kidneys, but the doctors said I was too heavy and needed a reasonable level of fitness to undergo the operation. That was when I decided: “I’m going to start walking, then I’m going to get on my bike and then I’m going to start running”.’
As the weight steadily fell off, Mr Smith eventually managed to complete a half marathon.
The transplant operation took place in August. Mr Smith spent four days in Glasgow’s Western General Hospital while Matthew remained in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, Glasgow, for more than five weeks after suffering initial complications.
It was left to his mother to spend every day by his bedside while Mr Smith recuperated at home, with the help of his 12-year-old daughter, Lucy. But, as he became stronger, Mr Smith was able to visit Alan in hospital.
Miss Gillon, a procurement manager, said: ‘I am so proud of what Alan has done because I know what a massive effort it took.’
Matthew added: ‘I feel much more energetic now. It’s the best present he’s ever given me – apart from the Wii.’
With more than 700 people in Scotland waiting for a transplant, according to Kidney Research UK, Mr Smith now wants to encourage others to sign up through www. organdonationscotland.org. He also paid tribute to the years of emotional and practical support his family have received from the charity Kidney Kids, which can be found at www.kidneykids.org.uk.
Mr Smith added: ‘Matthew has got his energy back and can run around with the other kids and I’ve finally become fit. We are both healthier than we have ever been.’
His wife added: ‘There has been no detriment to Alan’s life and he has absolutely improved someone else’s.’
Doctors are unable to say how long Matthew’s new kidney will remain functioning, but the family have been told it could work for up to 25 years – although there is a risk it could fail earlier.
Matthew, who has to take medication to stop his body rejecting the new organ, will be closely monitored in the coming years, as will his father. It will be nothing new for the schoolboy, who has been making regular hospital visits for his entire life.
Meanwhile, his family are full of praise for the staff at Yorkhill.
Mr Smith said: ‘It’s been a great comfort that he has seen the same people and had the same team caring for him.’