14 December 2009
Parents of a kidney patient who passed away last year have raised £500 for the renal department at St Helier Hospital, by asking their friends for a donation instead of a gift for their golden wedding anniversary.
As Jenny and Brian Hill from Cobham in Surrey celebrated 50 years of marriage, they asked their friends and relatives to remember their son Andrew by making donations to the department that cared for him.
The husband and wife team presented the cheque to renal consultant and Medical Director for the Trust, Dr Jonathan Kwan on Friday 11 December.
Mrs Hill said: "Our son Andrew was born with one under-developed kidney and the other was damaged, so he often visited St Helier for treatment. The care he received there was excellent, and we wanted to say thank you.
"Andrew led a pretty normal life up until he was 16, when his condition worsened. Then, in 1983 when he was 19, he was told that he'd need a kidney transplant."
As soon as Jenny heard the news, she stepped forward to donate a kidney. She went through and passed the rigorous matching tests and the transplant was a success.
"I didn't think twice about donating one of my kidneys. I didn't feel frightened - I just wanted my son to be as well as he could be. It was a complete success - he was told before the operation that he would need 10 months off work, but he said that he'd be back at work within 10 weeks, and sure enough, he was," said Jenny.
Unfortunately, Andrew also had a heart murmur, which required surgery in 2006. The operation was a success but in 2008, Andrew was called back to hospital to have valve replacement surgery. Sadly, he didn't recover and he passed away aged 42.
Jenny added: "Andrew was a happy, friendly and outgoing person. He was lovely and very popular - more than 300 people came to his funeral. And he never complained about being ill - he was never a sickly person, so it was a shock to discover just how ill he really was."
Dr Jonathan Kwan said: "This incredibly generous and selfless donation from Mr and Mrs Hill is really appreciated by everyone at the renal unit. We owe them a huge thank you for their thoughtful efforts. Andrew was a remarkable person and this is a very touching way of remembering him.
