A YEADON woman has celebrated the 20th anniversary of her kidney transplant, made possible by a donation from her brother.

Lynne Goldthorpe, 68, was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in 1987, after a consultant noticed her blood pressure was too high.

The National Kidney Federation says that polycystic kidney disease is an inherited condition in which abnormal cysts form in the kidneys. In the UK there are around 70,000 people with PKD.

“I was told that PKD is an inherited condition and I would at some point end up on dialysis.” Lynne said. “I had no idea where this had originated from as both my parents had sadly died when I was four, but at this point I had three children of my own so knowing that there was a 50 per cent chance of my children having the condition left me devastated.”

After her diagnosis Lynne was under the care of the renal team at St James’s University hospital in Leeds, until April 2000 when she began on peritoneal dialysis (PD), a type of dialysis treatment which can be done at home. She stayed on PD for 10 months.

“I was lucky and only suffered from fatigue and the occasional pain from cysts bursting, but I had to give up work in December 1999 as I was becoming very ill.”

After she started dialysis, her brother, Guy, immediately offered her one of his kidneys, and after being put through rigorous testing, he was found to be a good match, but Lynne still needed 10 more months of dialysis so she would be fit enough to go through the operation.

On February 2nd 2001, Guy was taken to theatre and Lynne followed soon after, knowing full well that the next time she woke, she would have one functioning kidney.

“The next morning he visited me with his drip of morphine and other attachments with his thumbs up in the air," she said.

“Our bond began. I not only had a working kidney but a very special brother.”

Following the operation Lynne experienced some minor setbacks with her transplant, but they eventually settled and she has celebrated every February with her brother, with the exception of this year.

“Twenty years later this is the only year my brother and his family haven’t celebrated with us that amazing day he selflessly put himself under the knife for me saying, ‘let me do something good for you’. Hopefully the celebrations will happen soon.

“These last 20 years have allowed me to be a wife and mother and to see my children get married and between them they have given me six beautiful grandchildren to cherish and watch grow up.”

Lynne thanked the renal team at St James’s University hospital, who she says provide her with ‘amazing’ care.

“I love my life and with the fantastic care of my renal team, I hope to enjoy many more years. I’m also forever indebted to my brother, whom I love so much," she said.

More information about kidney disease can be found at www.kidney.org.uk.