Home   News   Article

Moray woman transforms mum's life after kidney donation


By Lorna Thompson

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

A YOUNG Moray woman who donated a kidney to transform her mum's life says she can never thank the NHS enough for helping her family.

Laura Mitchell (32), communications manager for Richard Lochhead MSP in Elgin, recently returned to work after the major surgery and a two-year journey to become a live donor.

The SNP campaigner, who was the party's Moray candidate in the 2019 UK Parliament elections, said it had always been at the back of her mind to put herself forward as a kidney donor for her mum, Frances Mitchell (56), from Keith.

Frances had a first transplant 19 years ago – but was later diagnosed with chronic kidney failure when the organ started to falter.

Laura said: "My mum had a transplant when I was 13. They don't always last forever and when the kidney started to fail my mum was put back on dialysis."

However, after having committed to becoming a donor two years ago, Laura discovered that she wasn't a perfect match for her mum.

The mum and daughter were paired with another donor-and-recipient duo in the same situation. The donors are swapped in this type of "paired donation" arrangement to ensure each recipient benefits from a transplant they would not otherwise have had.

Seven years ago Laura's sister, Clare, who suffers from the same genetic condition as their mum, received a kidney from their dad, Douglas.

People who receive a kidney from a living donor will, in general, live longer than those who receive a kidney from a deceased donor. It is possible to live a perfectly normal life with one kidney – but would-be donors go through a raft of tests in hospital to ensure they can cope with the surgery and living with one kidney.

Moray SNP campaigner Laura Mitchell recently donated a kidney in a 'paired donation' to help her mum, and is urging people to consider becoming living donors. Picture: Daniel Forsyth.
Moray SNP campaigner Laura Mitchell recently donated a kidney in a 'paired donation' to help her mum, and is urging people to consider becoming living donors. Picture: Daniel Forsyth.

After delays due to Covid-19, around a year of blood tests, X-rays, scans and kidney function tests at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, and then an independent assessment, transplant day was set for September 2 at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Laura and Frances underwent surgery on the same day. While Laura was in theatre for four hours, the paired donor was also in surgery. The kidneys were flown to the recipients.

Laura said: "I said to my mum at the time that it's really weird knowing there are two other people going through the exact same thing as us – but we don't know who they are or where they are.

"Someone somewhere is now the owner of my spare kidney – I don't know where my kidney is."

Laura was back home recovering by September 6 and Frances was back in Keith shortly after that to shield for two months.

Frances's new kidney started to function almost immediately. Laura added: "My mum is doing really well. The transplant has made such a massive difference to her. It can take a while for a new organ to kick in – but her new kidney started to work almost as soon as the operation was over.

"When she was on home dialysis four times a day, for an hour at a time, she had no freedom, she was tired out and her body was deteriorating.

"But she now has a drastically better quality of life."

She added: "The NHS staff were amazing throughout.

"The renal unit in Aberdeen has cared for my mum and sister for about 20 years now. We will never be able to repay them enough for what they have done for my family.

"We are so lucky to have our NHS and we need to treasure it."

More than 500 people in Scotland have become living donors in the past decade and Laura urged people to consider donation. She said: "There are thousands of people in the UK waiting for a kidney.

"The law changes in March to an opt-in system so it's really important that people have these conversations with their families as we can save lives and make lives better.

"It's an incredible gift."


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More