Organ donation: Falkirk dad's greatest gift of kidney for son, 12

David Thomson, 48, donated a kidney to his 12-year-old boy last week after the youngster suffered years of ill health, almost daily dialysis and had countless spells in hospital.

Now David and wife Helen, 44, are hoping that the transplant surgery has been a success and will allow Dee to return to home to “a brighter future”.

The operation was carried out in Glasgow on August 23 with David now recuperating at the family home in Langlees, Falkirk, while Helen remains at Dee’s bedside in the city’s Royal Hospital for Children.

Helen said when Dee was born in December 2010 he was a perfectly healthy baby, who grew up reaching all the right markers and went to nursery then Langlees Primary School. “He was hardly ever not well. He joined a football team, was thriving and living his wee life to the fullest,” she recalled.

But the family’s life was to change when Dee was six and one Sunday he woke “looking like someone had blown him up with a pump”. By the next day it was worse and his anxious parents contacted the family GP who said to bring him in straight away.

Helen added: “I knew something wasn't right immediately when the doctor asked if he could bring in some of his colleagues to have a look at Dee. We were told straight away that he needed to go into hospital, the next few weeks were a bit of a blur with all the tests being done. Dee was getting puffier by the day and eventually got an appointment at Glasgow children's hospital and that's where the journey began.”

Doctors diagnosed Dee with nephrotic syndrome which can be treated by steroids, but sadly Dee was one of those children for whom this didn’t work.

"He was then diagnosed as having steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome and our lives completely changed,” said Helen. "Dee has been in and out of hospital ever since, and he has been on countless medications, some of which have caused horrendous side effects.

"We were travelling back and forth from Falkirk to Glasgow anything from two to six times per week, leading to him having to get central lines put in as it was becoming impossible for the nurses to get blood from him as he was carrying way too much fluid.

"Dee’s condition continued to deteriorate and eventually both his kidneys failed him altogether, leading to him depending on dialysis every day to keep him going. If he wasn’t an inpatient, we were at hospital five days per week.”

Helen, who also has grown up son’s, Michael Todd, 26, and Greg Todd, 23, had to give up work as a checkout operator in Asda Stenhousemuir to enable her to care round-the-clock for Dee.

She said one of the difficult things her youngest boy has had to deal with is the change in diet. “No sweets, no fruit, no crisps or chips, and he was put on fluid restrictions,” explained Helen. "Until then he could have these things and then we had to take them away. He also can’t have a bath because of his central lines and this was something he used to love.

"Before he had become ill, he played football with one of the Stenhousemuir FC community teams and loved it, but all that had to stop. He was a really promising wee footballer and he dreams that one day he could sign for Rangers.”

Dee entered first year at Falkirk High last year but because of his condition has only attended school a handful of times in the last 12 months.

The youngster was receiving dialysis for over two years but several months ago medics made the decision to remove both his kidneys leaving him fully dependent on dialysis. This cannot be carried out at nearby Forth Valley Royal Hospital meaning daily journeys to Glasgow.

David and Helen had put themselves forward as living donors to give Dee one of their kidneys and underwent a barrage of tests with both turning out to be a match. Initially his mum was to be the donor but previous ill health ruled her out and instead it was decided his dad would be the donor.

NHS transplant information states: “Receiving a kidney from a living donor has many advantages over deceased kidney donation. On average, kidneys from living donors last longer and there is usually less of a wait.”

Even more tests followed over the next ten weeks with David having seven teeth extracted so there was no risk of infection affecting his white blood count.

The dad went into hospital the day before the operation, while Dee was in for his usual dialysis, and David had to be at the Royal Queen Elizabeth Hospital next to the children’s hospital for 7am on the transplant day.

Helen said: “Thankfully the operation was a success in that the kidney is working amazingly well. However, Dee’s condition means that the antibodies are now attacking the new kidney.

"He is to undergo a plasma exchange to try to get rid of the antibodies and at the moment we are just living day-to-day.

"We were able to get David brought to Dee’s hospital room to see home before he returned home where he’s a bit sore but recovering. However, it will be a while before he can go back to his job as a groundworker with Advance Construction Scotland.”

Helen remains in the hospital room with Dee and hopes that it will not be long until all the family can be reunited, including with her 15-week-old grandson Theo.

Her best friend Jackie Graham has set up a Gofundme page for the family to help them while David recovers and then hopefully to fund a holiday when Dee gets out of hospital.

It’s already raised over £1250 of the £2000 target in a matter of days.

She said: “Super hero dad David gave his son one of his own kidneys which will hopefully lead to a brighter future for Dee and he can start living a normal life.

"It’s a long road to recovery for both, hence the reason I want to raise as much funds for this amazing family as possible to make their lives a little easier.”