Dennis is keen to show people that you can still live your life as normal and achieve great things after donating a kidney.
I first heard of non-directed living kidney donation, where you donate a kidney to someone you don’t know, a long time ago. I believe I first heard about it on BBC Radio 4, where they were interviewing a non-directed donor. It was only when I stopped working full-time that I reconsidered the possibility of actually doing it myself.
I contacted my nearest transplant centre (The Churchill Hospital in Oxford) in May 2019 and was approved the following March – just before living donations were suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this was a difficult time for me – around this time I fell off my bike and fractured my pelvis, then a month later I lost my elder brother to Covid. It wasn’t until December that year that I felt ready enough to put myself back on the list, eventually donating in August 2021.
Despite the delay, the team at Oxford were very understanding. They contacted me in the summer of 2020 when living donations were resumed. I explained my circumstances to my living donor coordinator, and she just suggested that I contact them again when the time was right for me. Not for the first time, she said that I could drop out at any time, even up to the date of the operation.
Like many donors I know, my immediate family were at first quite apprehensive about my decision to donate a kidney to a stranger but have since been very supportive of what I am doing, and proud of what I have done.
The operation itself went very well. The pain levels I felt afterwards were easily managed – my fractured pelvis from the year before acted as a bit of a dummy run. I was fully recovered within seven weeks and since then I’ve been able to live life just as I did before.
I think everyone who has been involved in a successful transplant must feel elated at having made a significant difference to someone else’s life, and many would do it again if they could. I certainly felt good, but I also wanted to do more, to go the extra mile, you might say. In fact, it turned out to be 500 extra miles!
I couldn’t repeat the donation process this side of the river Styx, so I set about utilising my past experience in fundraising events and coupled that with raising awareness of living kidney donation. I came up with the idea of The Transplant Tour, a six-day cycle ride from Edinburgh to Oxford, stopping off at a total of seven transplant units during the journey. My aim was to show that being left with just one kidney doesn’t impede your life in any way. You can still live your life as normal, and even take part in things like long-distance endurance bike rides.
The ride was supported by a fantastic team of volunteers, including a fellow living kidney donor called Paul van den Bosch who cycled with me.
In all, the event raised over £35,000 for the charity Give a Kidney. Dennis has now turned to a more sustainable way of helping people who might be considering donating a kidney by becoming a Buddy for the UK Living Kidney Donation Buddy Support Service.
"It has now been over a year since my donation. I have zero pain or discomfort, and I am entirely back to normal with nothing but a scar to remind me of my experience."
ReadRachel already knew more than she wanted to about the process of kidney donation before she gave her spare kidney to someone she didn’t know.
ReadHenry donated a kidney to his sister Helen, and has seen first-hand the difference a donation can make for someone with kidney disease.
Read“It has made absolutely no difference to my day-to-day life. My mum, however, has a life like never before.”
ReadNaomi knew she wanted to donate a kidney after learning about kidney disease and reality of life on dialysis.
ReadEmma donated her kidney to a stranger eight years ago after first seeing a story about non-directed donation on TV four years previously.
ReadJoyce thought that she was too old to donate a kidney, before learning there was no upper age limit for donating.
ReadMandy donated one of her kidneys to her younger cousin Lou, who was diagnosed with kidney problems when she was two years old.
Read"I don’t consider myself to be a hero or brave. I just did what I was brought up to do – to help others."
ReadJulie worked hard to stay fit and healthy while she was preparing to donate a kidney to her nephew.
Read"At the beginning it seemed like a difficult decision to make, but since the operation I don’t have any regrets."
ReadTessa believes that donating a kidney to a stranger is one of the best decisions she's ever made.
ReadLynn was 75 when she donated a kidney altruistically. "I knew I wanted to do it if I was capable of doing so."
Read“You don’t need to be a superhero, you don’t need to be a mega star of any sort. It’s something that normal people just like me can do."
ReadLaura knew she would donate a kidney to her sister if she needed it. When the time came, she found the process absolutely worth it.
ReadMatt's dream of joining the police was shattered by an unexpected diagnosis of kidney disease, but his mother's kidney donation allowed him to thrive and pursue new dreams.
Read"I've learnt a lot about myself and my own health – I would do it again in a heartbeat (if I had another kidney to spare!)"
Read"I believe that if you are in a position to help someone else less fortunate than yourself, then you should do so."
ReadEvery kidneyversary deserves a celebration, but in 2024 Elaine marked a particularly poignant milestone – 10 years since she donated a kidney to her eldest daughter.
Read"I feel immeasurably better in myself knowing I have been able to give my brother the gift of a healthy life."
ReadWhen Ali heard that a former colleague was waiting for a kidney transplant, he knew within minutes that he would offer one of his.
Read"My mum needed a kidney, and I didn’t need both of mine. When I heard that, I didn't have any hesitation."
ReadKathryn faced life-changing kidney failure after being diagnosed with the rare disease, IgA vasculitis.
ReadMarianne has seen first hand the benefits that kidney donation can bring to a family, and feels blessed that she was able to donate a kidney to her brother.
ReadBen felt drained by kidney disease for over 12 years before his cousin gave him a second chance at life by donating his kidney.
ReadJulie donated to her son and knows first hand that donating an organ doesn’t just save a person. It saves a family.
ReadAnne donated into the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme so that her brother could receive a kidney transplant.
Read"Within both the Jain and Hindu faiths benevolence to others is supposed to be a key principle. What could be a greater act of benevolence than transforming someone’s life by giving them part of yourself?"
Read"If I had more Kidneys to give, I'd be donating to anyone who needed one."
ReadTrainee teacher Mark is grateful for the life-saving kidney transplant from his brother that put him back on track for life and his career.
ReadSheldon & Hayley watched their daughter Daisy-May go from a shock diagnosis of kidney failure to dialysis, then transplant, in an emotional rollercoaster lasting 16 months.
ReadMy donor gave me a life to live for. I have done things I had never considered doing whilst on dialysis.
Read"If I had another kidney to spare, I would donate in a heartbeat. It was life changing for my husband, and for me as a person."
ReadDavid is just an average Joe. A motorcycling, 54-year-old father and grandfather. And 6 years ago, he donated one of his kidneys to someone who needed it more than he did.
Read40 years ago, Kathleen donated one of her kidneys to Cheryl, who was just five years old at the time.
Read"Giving a small part of me that I didn’t need to someone else would make little difference in my life, but a huge difference in theirs – it was an easy decision for me to make."
ReadLiz's family struggled at first with her determination to donate her kidney to someone unrelated to her.
Read"I donated a kidney to my dad 10 years ago, aged 25. To me, it was a no brainer."
ReadSarah had seen the life-changing difference donating a kidney could have, and immediately knew it was something she wanted to do.
ReadI would not feel as comfortable in my own skin as I do now if I had not donated my kidney.
ReadPete’s kidney gave me my life back and gave my son Edward a mum with energy and vitality.
ReadWhether you’ve already decided to donate a kidney, or you are interested in finding out more about the process and what it involves, we’re here to answer any questions you might have.
