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Living Donation Discussion and News => Living Donation in the News => Topic started by: Karol on January 03, 2012, 04:53:33 AM
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Beyond the call of duty: Best man donates his kidney to his friend's bride to ensure their future together
By DAMIEN GAYLE
Last updated at 7:02 PM on 2nd January 2012
A best man at a wedding is to go one step further in his service to the married couple by donating his kidney to the bride.
Stuart Kilgannon, 39, from Beverley, East Yorkshire, was best man for his friends Shaun and Leanne Stefanovic at their wedding in Cyprus last year.
Now, having made sure the big day went off without a hitch, Mr Kilgannon is helping to ensure the newlyweds are able to enjoy a happy future.
Mrs Stefanovic, 30, has suffered from kidney disease most of her life but, thanks to Mr Kilgannon, hopes this year will be the one she finally returns to health.
She was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2007, leaving her with constant fatigue and on dialysis for nine hours every day.
But after finding out he was a match for Mrs Stefanovic, Mr Kilgannon put himself forward and the transplant is expected to take place at St James's Hospital in Leeds next week.
Mrs Stefanovic said: 'I really feel like I’m ready for the transplant now. Lately, I have felt more tired than normal.
'I feel really rundown and I want to get a spring back in my step again.
'Stuart is putting himself on the surgery table for me. I’m extremely grateful because I could have been waiting another five or ten years.'
Mr Kilgannon is due to undergo the transplant operation at St James's Hospital in Leeds next week (file picture)
Despite his life-changing gesture, Mr Kilgannon was modest about what he is preparing to do. 'Leanne calls me a hero - but I’m not,' he said.
'I’m starting to get a little bit nervous now. It’s more painful for the donor than the recipient because it’s more of an invasive operation.
'They are taking something out and your body has to get used to something being missing.
'Stuart is putting himself on the surgery table for me. I’m extremely grateful because I could have been waiting another five or ten years'
Leanne Stefanovic
'But to see Leanne’s life improve dramatically, it will be worth it 100 per cent.'
Mr Kilgannon said he knew how much of a struggle life was for Mrs Stefanovic.
'It’s starting to affect her more and more and her energy levels seem to be dropping more,' he said.
'If she goes anywhere for a great length of time, she has to take everything with her. Lots of things we take for granted, such as a weekend away with your partner, she can’t do.'
Mrs Stefanovic said she hoped the transplant would mean she and her husband could think about starting a family.
'At present, that choice has been taken away from me,' she said. 'I have been told not to get pregnant because I could die and the baby could die.
'Having a baby puts strain on a healthy person’s kidney, never mind someone whose are in failure.
'There is something missing in our lives. I can’t wait to get my freedom back.'
Mrs Stefanovic added that she is also hoping to be able to further her studies in law after graduating from the University Of Hull in July.
She said: 'I won’t have to have dialysis any more. I will be able to climb into bed and not have to set a machine up. I will be able to be independent.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081303/Beyond-duty-Best-man-donates-kidney-friends-bride-ensure-future-together.html#ixzz1iO5E4d4n