Three-year-old Alder Hey patient given gift of life thanks to organ donation

A little boy from the Isle of Man has received a lifesaving kidney transplant just in time for his third birthday.

Born with severe kidney disease, Aedan has been on medication and dialysis at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital his entire life and needed the transplant to survive.

His family are now raising awareness of how organ donors can transform and save lives.

Every day someone in the UK dies waiting for a transplant, due to a shortage of people donating. There are around 7000 people including children just like Aedan currently needing a transplant.

During Organ Donation Week, NHS Blood and Transplant (who look after transplant services across the UK) are encouraging people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Owen Morris, Renal Transplant Nurse Specialist explained: “Aedan initially had other treatments for his kidney failure including peritoneal dialysis and haemodiaylsis.

Aedan with parents and renal and dialysis team at Alder Hey

However rather than a lifetime of dialysis, his best option was always a transplant and we are obviously delighted that he has been given a new kidney thanks to an organ donor.”

Aedan’s parents Shirley and Paul weren’t a suitable donor match for Aedan and so the organ register was his only option.

Mum Shirley said:

“In August 2023, we received the call we’d been nervously waiting for and prayed would come. There was a kidney waiting for Aedan. We grabbed our bags and Aedan and his dad, Paul, went to Hospital by air ambulance and I followed with all our stuff closely behind. The surgery took approximately six hours and everything went smoothly. The kidney was a great match and Aedan was well and sat up in his cot, giggling and laughing on just day five. I couldn’t believe it.”

“We are so grateful to the renal and dialysis team at Alder Hey in particular, who looked after us so well, during our lengthy stays and helped us get Aedan ready for his transplant. We don’t know what we would have done without them.”

Even though the law around organ donation has now changed to an opt out system across England, Scotland and Wales, family members will always be consulted before organ donation goes ahead.

This means it is still just as important to register your decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and ensure your friends and family know what you want because families are more likely to support the decision of someone who has registered. Register to be an organ donor here.