Joy as mum's 10-year wait for transplant ends
A MUM who had almost given up hope of a kidney transplant after 10 years on the waiting list was celebrating having the life-changing operation yesterday.
Isobel Urquhart, 43, had long ago unpacked the bag doctors told her to have ready at all times when she went on the transplant list in 1998.
Mrs Urquhart was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus in 1992, shortly after she gave birth to her daughter.
Normally, the wait is three years before a transplant match is found.
The mother-of-two faced a far longer wait because the antibodies built up in her system from pregnancy gave her a rare tissue type. Doctors warned it would be almost impossible to find a match.
I’ve been given my life back, a moment I never thought would come. It’s the best present I could ever have been given
However, on Christmas Day, Mrs Urquhart, of Muir of Ord, Rossshire, was airlifted to Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary for the transplant. And nearly a month on she’s looking ahead to her first family holiday with service manager husband Duncan, 45, son Alexander, 22, and daughter Keri, 16.
Mrs Urquhart said: “I’ve been given my life back, a moment I never thought would come. It’s the best present I could ever have been given.”
Mrs Urquhart’s condition was causing damage to her kidneys and it was clear she would need a transplant.
Doctors took the decision early as they knew it would be almost impossible to find a donor due to her rare tissue type.
By 2003 a match had not been found and she had begun dialysis.
As each year passed, hopes faded – until the call came through at 8.30am on December 25.
The family dinner went in the freezer and presents were forgotten about. Two hours later, Mrs Urquhart was collected in Dingwall by air ambulance and by 6.45pm she was in theatre for the two-and-a-half-hour operation.
Keri said they had never had a holiday as her mum was on dialysis.
She said: “I’m so happy for her. It will change everything for all of us.”
