Poisoned mushrooms nearly killed me - now I'm launching kidney donor campaign

[Clark]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2011/07/18/poisoned-mushrooms-nearly-killed-me-now-i-m-launching-kidney-donor-campaign-says-charlotte-gordon-cumming-86908-23279085/

Poisoned mushrooms nearly killed me - now I'm launching kidney donor campaign, says Charlotte Gordon Cumming
Samantha Booth

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Now, Charlotte is hoping her life will change, thanks to the kindness of a woman she met through their sons' shared passion for football.
The unnamed woman, who has only known Charlotte for a couple of years, has offered her a kidney and they hope the transplant will take place next month.
Charlotte, 53 - originally from Forres, Moray, but now living in Devon with her nine-year-old son, Finlay, and husband Nick - said: "My donor is like an angel sent from heaven. She has an incredible empathy and to step forward and say she would help me is a complete gift.
"It is an extraordinary feeling to realise that someone who isn't family wants to help you, especially when it is a life and death situation."

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She said: "I truly believe it is beneficial for everyone concerned. Something even shifts for the donor and they benefit in many ways.
"It is a very courageous thing to do. Donors don't think about themselves at all and it is very moving, magical even. We were just mothers on the frontline who became great friends. It has been such a special thing to happen, especially as I have had some terrible experiences in trying to find a donor."

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Searching for a donor can be an emotional roller coaster that raises hopes only to bring them crashing down again.
Charlotte said: "It is a course only run by the brave, especially as the guilt within families - either because they aren't a match or because they feel obliged or because the kidney is rejected - can rip them apart.
"I have had some terrible experiences. People have offered and then pulled out, got fearful and changed their minds. That makes you quite distraught."
After so many bitter disappointments Charlotte was stunned when her friend came forward to offer her kidney.
She said: "I never in my wildest dreams thought this would happen.
"I talked to her because she is a nurse and because we would be sitting there, watching our kids, and I would tell her there were times when I looked at my son and wondered if I would see him at 15. I was just talking out loud as one mother to another."
But, as with all live kidney donations, finding a willing donor for Charlotte was only the start. Tests were needed to determine her donor's physical and mental health - and if her kidney was a good match. Thankfully, it was perfect.
Charlotte said: "I didn't talk for the whole day when I got the news, which is quite something for me! I was simply stunned because it came out of the blue. I felt this great rush of love and we just hugged each other. It was a very special moment because I knew it took enormous courage.
"And whatever happens to me, the fact that someone has stepped into that circle with me is such a special thing.
"I am excited about the operation now as well as very calm. I am just living my life moment by moment but I also feel very alive. For me, it is something to look forward to and to know that maybe by Christmas time I will feel on top of the world - maybe even better than before."
Charlotte has been inspired by her own experiences to do as much as she can to raise awareness of organ donation.
At the moment, live organ donors are the best bet for anyone on the kidney transplant list because kidneys from deceased donors are fairly rare.
She is hoping that the law will soon be changed so that instead of signing up to become an organ donor on their death, people will need to sign off the register if they don't want their organs used.

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