Chris savouring second chance
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SAVOURING a new lease of life, Chris Randle would like to say thank you to the family of the donor who gave him a second chance.
Chris (46) is recovering at home in Lhanbryde less than three weeks since undergoing a kidney transplant.
He knows someone died to give him renewed hope for the future and that makes him all the more determined to grab the opportunity with both hands.
“I have not approached it yet because I want to let things settle down. I would like to send a letter to the family to say a thank you.
“If they wanted to meet or have contact I would be willing to do that; but it must be difficult. It would be nice to say thank you because a family has lost someone.
“I heard they had possibly donated other organs. Someone else got a liver and I got a kidney; I am not sure if other people received organs.”
There remains a shortage of donors for the growing number of transplant procedures than can now be formed, and Chris urged more people to consider adding their name to the donor register.
“The list is only as good as the number of people willing to donate.”
Chris, an IT engineer at Elgin chartered accountants Johnston Carmichael for 12 years, went through a four hour operation at Edinburgh Royal Infirmay on March 4, just hours after getting a call from the transplant team that a match had been found.
Without the support of his wife Claire (38), his family, friends, workmates and fellow patients and staff at the dialysis unit in Elgin and also hospital staff at Aberdeen and Edinburgh, it would have been almost impossible to cope over the last few years.
He was diagnosed with kidney failure three years ago having suffered from high blood pressure for more than 10 years before that.
•To find out more about becoming an organ and blood donor go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Read the full interview with Chris in The Northern Scot print version.
