"Every day I appreciate how life turned out thanks to a kidney transplant from my brother."
Trainee teacher Mark is grateful for the life-saving kidney transplant from his brother that put him back on track for life and his career.
The 30-year-old London blogger is determined to raise awareness of kidney disease by telling his story.
“I was lucky enough to not have to go through dialysis, yet it was still tough,” he said.
Mark was 17 years old when he was diagnosed with lupus, which seriously damaged his kidneys.
He had been ill for 12months with lots of flu-like symptoms, including a temperature, but had been prescribed antibiotics with no formal diagnosis.
“Eventually my GP ran some blood tests and I was sent to hospital for proper checks.”
What he expected to be a quick trip turned into a six-week stay in two different hospitals, while medics eventually diagnosed him with lupus.
“At the time I felt really sick and kept getting strange blood test results,” he said. “I was given IV fluids and antibiotics. When I was finally allowed home, I was put on Prednisolone steroids to help reduce inflammation which made me blow up and suffer from a side effect called Moon Face.”
Despite trips back and forth to Hammersmith Hospital, he never knew why he had been struck down by the disease.
“There was no clue as to why this had happened. I was super healthy, enjoying sports every day. Nobody in my wider family had any known kidney issues.
“I was playing football and had signed up to a semi-professional football scholarship to go to university to study sport science. All of this ground to a halt when I got the diagnosis.”
Mark went to university, but because of the steroids, he went from super fit and slim to putting on a lot of weight.
“I felt like I lost myself. It was a difficult time. I had low energy. My head wanted to get up and go, but my body wanted to stay in bed. I was exhausted. Kidney function was super low, creatinine levels super high.
“I lost all my motivation which is not like the real me. It was like I was trapped in a body that didn’t want to do as it was told.”
Fed up feeling ill, Mark decided to start researching lupus to see what others had done.
He became vegetarian which helped control things and took on a healthier diet. Slowly, he returned to exercise.
“My mindset changed. I was playing football again and looking after myself.”
On graduating, Mark’s first job was working for an educational agency called Numberfit teaching maths to young children using sport and exercise as a motivator. “They danced to times tables. It worked! They learnt well and we all had fun.”
But his dream was to become a primary school teacher, so he landed a post as a teaching assistant at Oakington Manor Primary School in Brent, Wembley.
The aim was to use the job as a springboard to gain his official teaching qualification, but that turned into the year he fell ill again and was now in need of a transplant.
“I was loving work, in my spare time enjoying playing football, cycling, park runs, but all the time my kidney function was failing and got down to 15%.”
Mark had to stop all of his studies and put his dream of becoming a teacher on hold.
Mark’s close-knit family watched as his health deteriorated and in the summer of 2018 six people put their names forward to be living donors for him.
The first three to test were his mum Diane, his younger brother Jason and his best friend Noreen.
Jason and his mum were perfect matches, and it was agreed Jason would go forward as he was so fit and healthy. In December 2018 the operation went ahead.
“I feel lucky. Every single day I’m appreciative of how life has turned out thanks to the kidney transplant from my brother.
“The week of surgery was actually fun, which might sound weird, but I got to lay in a bed next to my brother, joking and chatting while we recovered. We are a close family, but I became even closer during that time.
“My poor wife, Rima, who had been with me through everything right from the start was a nervous wreck and so was my mum, but I was excited.”
Leading up to surgery Mark decided to record the journey as a way of helping others understand, so he began blogging and set up a You Tube channel called Transplant Fitness.
”During my transplant, I wish I had someone who knew the answers to questions I didn’t even know I had. I hope to act as that support network to anyone who needs it!”
“Reading people’s stories has been helpful to me, so I hoped by blogging myself, it might help others.”
Mark had complete faith in the doctors and surgeons at Hammersmith Hospital and the main thing on his mind was hoping Jason was OK.
However, after transplant surgery, the joy of knowing his kidneys were working properly soon turned to anxiety when, after two weeks, the kidney showed signs of rejection.
He was back in hospital for Christmas, given an alternative anti-rejection drug and put on a low dose of Prednisolone steroids which he still takes today.
“The drugs given to me when I was 17 for lupus were really powerful and dampened my immune system which is why I needed an alternative anti-rejection drug.”
Meanwhile, the steroid side effects of being hungry all the time, craving sugars, and mood swings remain tough, but he knows he must take them to stay alive.
Two years on and Mark decided he was ready to try and achieve his teaching qualification once again, this time with the fear of Covid-19 making things harder.
“One of the worst aspects of being ill came in October 2020 just before the UK’s second Covid lockdown when I developed a high temperature and struggled to breathe. I feared the worst.
“I went to the local walk-in centre and was taken to the Ealing Hospital Covid ward where I spent two weeks.”
Three days were in the intensive care unit on oxygen It was a frightening time.
“Turns out I had a pneumonia strain called PCP. Only people with suppressed immune systems get it. Being surrounded by extremely sick people on a Covid ward with the fear of a deadly virus as a vulnerable kidney patient was awful.”
Now fully recovered, Mark and his wife Rima walk every day.
“Now I feel really good and am working hard toward qualifying as a teacher. All thanks to the gift of life from my brother and the research that made it possible.”
Emma 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."
ReadDennis is keen to show people that you can still live your life as normal and achieve great things after donating a kidney.
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."
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.
