Episode 3 The Greatest Gift

In Wales, around 200 people are currently waiting

for an organ transplant.

If I stop dialysis,

I'll probably last a fortnight before I could possibly die.

On average, someone dies every 11 days on the waiting list.

You have to go for the op.

Jen, you've got to do it. You're going to die.

Last year, Wales led the way in the UK and changed the law

to presumed consent.

It's a landmark day for Wales,

but it's a landmark day for people who are waiting for transplants.

Now, it's assumed that we are all potential donors when we die...

..unless we opt out, or express such wishes to our loved ones.

A single donor can change the lives of so many who are waiting

for the call for the gift of life.

Unless something drastic happens, I'm going to have my transplant.

With unprecedented access to the transplant teams

at the University Hospital of Wales,

this series follows the incredible journey from one person's death

to others receiving the greatest gift.

This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

Early-morning clinic at the Children's Kidney Centre.

-Good morning, Jade.

-Do you want to do it?

Ten-year-old Jade from Newport attends this unit for treatment

three times a week.

What is it?

-37.1.

-37.1.

Jade has kidney failure.

Her treatment includes haemodialysis.

This machine cleans her blood,

the job her kidneys should be doing.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, she comes for three and a half hours.

We're in by half past eight and she's back to school then by one.

-You don't want to miss school, do you?

-No.

No. I think it's more being social

than actually doing any schoolwork, isn't it?

Yes.

Mum Mercedes first noticed a change in Jade's health last year.

At my Christmas play, I was...

My mum said I was different,

a different colour to everyone else standing up.

She looked quite yellow up against all the children on the stage,

didn't you?

That's when we first took you to the hospital, wasn't it?

First we went to the doctor.

First we went to the doctor, yes, and she said,

"You need to go to the hospital."

Everything changed, didn't it?

It's not something we expected, that's for sure.

But...

it is what it is and we have to deal with it, don't we?

The only hope of curing Jade's condition is a kidney transplant.

I should live till tomorrow, Fiona.

-Huh?

-I should live till tomorrow.

-Are you sure?

-Well, of course I'm sure, Fiona.

50-year-old Anwar Hussain received a donor kidney last year.

Oh, you know...

Sadly, his body immediately rejected the organ and he's back

on the transplant list.

-Hello, Anwar, how are you?

-Hello, Mike.

This morning, he's meeting his consultant, Mike Stevens.

To be quite honest with you, Mike, I've had a gut's full of it.

I would literally...

..walk away from it all now.

Dialysis, everything, and it's really getting to me.

How long have you been on dialysis now?

Like, five years in August.

And how do you find the dialysis day?

I hate it.

It's getting to me...

The days I do get decent dialysis and the days I get half a dialysis,

I go home washed out.

I'm asleep for about four, five, six hours, sometimes.

I wake up the following day, sometimes it

carries on through with it.

Let's keep positive in terms of transplant.

You're there on the list, a phone call might come any time.

-Right.

-Keeping yourself fit, keeping yourself positive.

Right, I'll see you soon.

-All right.

-Put this out your mind and have a nice holiday.

-I will, thank you very much for your time.

Thank you. Thank you, Mike.

There just aren't enough kidneys out there.

It's very frustrating. You can see it, can't you with him?

You can see how annoyed he is, talking about stopping dialysis.

We try and reassure him, we try and give him hope.

And, you know, transplant will transform his life,

there's no doubt about that, but we're still waiting for the organ.

We're hoping that his health's going to be maintained in the meantime.

Anwar will need the gift of a kidney from someone after they've died.

With last year's change in legislation in Wales,

there should be more hope for patients like him.

Critical Care?

The intensive care unit is where organ donation

is discussed most often, because it's where

the most seriously ill patients are cared for.

So, what's he currently on now?

Insulin's just started, hasn't it?

Stuart from Manorbier has been admitted to the unit

for brain surgery following a stroke.

He used to smoke, is that right?

Yeah, used to be a very heavy smoker up until 11 years ago.

-Right, OK.

-He was about 30 a day.

-OK.

-But then I made him give them up.

So he gave them up, just like that.

His daughters and partner Angela

have been by his bedside waiting for him to wake up.

He's never been ill in his life until Christmas when he was

going through blood pressure problems.

But I didn't think there was much...

..fear from that because, you know,

blood pressure is treated with tablets and things like that.

So, we thought things were improving.

Stuart recently celebrated his 60th birthday.

# Happy birthday to you! #

Since his surgery three days ago, Stuart's shown no sign of recovery.

On the Monday, it seemed to be draining as it should do.

But then on the Tuesday,

there was blood in the fluid and they told us there was nothing

they could do for him.

I just knew

in my heart,

but you just hope, don't you?

And I just knew that I couldn't do anything.

With hope fading,

the family have been asked to share Stuart's end of life wishes.

Which is the shiny side? There's no shiny side.

The ward's specialist nurses for organ donation,

Charlotte and Angharad, are working with the family.

Angela's really brave. She's amazing to speak to.

She's very... Really open, very honest about it all and just...

She's a really giving lady, you can tell it's all about the donation,

it's all about the family.

They seem to be a very close-knit family that are all very supportive

of each other. So, in that sense,

they're a very easy family to work with because they are supporting

each other and we are just helping to support them through this last,

last part of his life, really.

So, that's all we can do.

Like two bags of sugar.

Jade is back at the Children's Kidney Centre.

There's been a change in her treatment.

She now has dialysis at home.

Today, she's come to see her consultant, Dr Shivaram Hegde,

for a checkup.

Are you missing us?

So, what do you reckon is the better one?

The dialysis here, or at home?

At home.

Home!

You are able to go to school every day, aren't you?

Yeah.

-Is that better, as well?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

And the dialysis will carry on.

-Yes.

-She's extremely efficient, isn't she?

Yeah.

Because she's dialysing really well on the very light part.

Her blood pressure control is really excellent.

And do you actually think, when she went on her PD,

she started eating better?

Oh, she's always ate like a pig, to be fair.

OK. So, one less problem to think about.

Jade has got a rare kidney disease.

When she actually came to us, her kidneys were quite scarred,

so she was in ultimate kidney failure,

end stage kidney disease, we call.

So, she went on dialysis.

But she's a little star,

she's put up with so many things really well.

Obviously, the golden...

The best of treatment for kidney disease is a kidney transplant.

So, until that is ready, Jade will be on dialysis.

Hi, Jade, are you ready for a blood test, then?

Yeah.

At home, mum Mercedes is getting to grips

with Jade's new dialysis regime.

This is everything she has overnight.

All of this goes in...

Into her, over the next ten hours.

And goes out into a waste bag there.

Did you ever think you'd be an expert in all of this?

No.

Definitely not.

Not something I ever thought I would have to do, anything like this,

to be honest.

That's us set up...

..until she goes on.

Jade still has restrictions in what she can drink and eat and has to

keep up with her medication.

What are those tablets for, Jade, do you know?

I need one every time I eat.

They are called Calcichews.

It is 100 Calcichews,

500mg tablets.

At home, she's adapted quite well,

involving her meds.

She knows when she's got to take her tablets.

She knows before she goes to bed, she's got to take tablets.

We just try and make it as normal as possible.

How are you feeling ahead of the transplant?

Very nervous.

But, you know, it has to be done.

And hopefully

she'll have a speedy recovery and we can hopefully carry on

with a bit more of a normal life.

We used the blue.

The blue one the other day, not the portable one.

This is the portable one.

Anwar had a failed kidney transplant last year,

so for now he still has to continue with his haemodialysis treatment.

I think I'm the longest-serving one coming here, like.

I think I... I think, 2012.

Possibly October 2012.

Until the call comes,

the machines are the only thing that's keeping him alive.

Telly's up there in front of me, there's my paper.

My tablets, my other tablets.

Hopefully I can get some Wi-Fi reaching from here.

And away we go. And that's it.

This is it, this is dialysis life.

Unfortunately. The most horrible thing about it is sitting here

for four hours.

I absolutely hate it.

I would stop coming here tomorrow if I was given a choice,

but I've been told if I stop, I'll probably last a fortnight

before I could possibly die.

I just wish I could get off this life and get a normal life.

The most hurtful thing for anyone waiting for one is that

some poor bugger or someone's loved one has got to pass away

for someone to have a life.

Which is hard, hard to take.

One generous benefactor can save and transform up to nine lives.

On the intensive care unit,

Stuart's family have consented to donate his organs.

We had discussed it and it was his wish, but he always said,

"I'm not sure what I'll be able to give."

Because, as I said, he smoked like a trooper.

So, that was out.

But, yeah, we were always, you know, talking about it.

Last month or so, the headache has been worsening and he's been...

Specialist nurses Charlotte and Angharad are overseeing the process.

There's quite a strong history in relation to donation with the family.

So, the lady that's here, who's his partner of 11 years,

her son also donated when he was 17,

and that was about 17 years ago now.

Something like 1999, I think it was.

-OK.

-And he was an organ donor.

Sadly for Angela,

it's the second time she's found herself in this position.

Charlie was my...

..my baby. Yeah, he was 17.

And he fell down stairs at a friend's house.

And that was horrendous.

Really horrendous.

It was decided Charlie would want to be giving somebody else a chance,

and that's how I came to the decision.

Cos I thought it's something I've never discussed with him

because you didn't 17 years ago.

-So this is the ink now.

-Oh, that's the ink.

-You can't see it.

-Oh.

I was wondering how you would keep the bed clean.

Angela's made the decision once again to donate

her loved one's organs.

Nurse Charlotte is making a print of Stuart's hands

for the family to keep.

If you can just bring that underneath.

Yeah, so...

And then just sort of... That's it.

Ready, steady, lift.

CHEERING

It's a nice idea.

It is nice cos it's a nice memory of... Obviously, you've got

-other memories, but...

-Oh, yes.

-You know, it's...

-You know, those were hard-working hands.

-Yeah.

Last year, in this hospital,

24 families made the decision to donate their loved one's organs.

BOTH: # And ignite your bones

# I will try to fix you... #

Stuart Bates and his seven-year-old son Fraser

died after being hit by a car last Christmas.

The tragedy made news headlines.

Floral tributes mark the spot on this busy road linking the M4

with Talbot Green, where the father and son died just after midnight

in the early hours of Sunday morning.

In a statement, his wife Anna-Louise said,

"Stu was my Mr Wonderful, Fraser was our bear.

"I know they will both be singing and playing football in heaven."

-There we are.

-No, that's...

-Who got you this? Grandma got you this,

didn't she, from the charity shop?

No, no.

Anna Louise and four-year-old Elizabeth are coming to terms

with life without Stuart and Fraser.

We miss them.

Every moment, every second.

-This is...

-Every breath.

This is called...

But we've got to keep them alive.

We have to.

There we are!

So we talk about them a lot.

She talks about them a lot.

We look through all our memories.

And actually she gets very upset if it's a picture of just the two boys.

She needs us all to be in the picture.

The family had discussed organ donation and as a result,

Fraser went on to save four lives.

I do believe they are with us.

So not only is Fraser around us, but obviously through

his organ donation, he's still there as well, physically.

Since their deaths, Anna-Louise has been channelling her grief

into something positive.

Her and Elizabeth have been invited to a Cardiff City match.

Oh, wow! Say...

Shall be put that in front, Elizabeth?

The team and players are publicising the family's charity,

set up to raise awareness of organ donation.

For Anna-Louise and Elizabeth in loving memory of Stuart and Fraser.

I know. Don't start, no.

So far, the charity has raised over £100,000 and Anna-Louise

has been busy with the publicity.

"Believe" just seems to be the right word because it's kind of like...

Like we believed in the boys, they believed in us.

-Yeah.

-The whole of, you know, everybody and the support,

and it's just amazing.

And I want to utilise the money now,

so that parents and children and families together can understand

and can support each other.

Right. So, what will it mean to you seeing, you know, your daughter

run out on this pitch where you've supported this team for so long?

When she was changing into her kit, she turned to me, she said,

"Mummy, Fraser would be so proud of me."

Oh, that's incredible.

-And we all are, but...

-Yeah.

I know he is especially.

Oh, fab.

The highlight of the evening - Elizabeth's about to be

one of Cardiff City's youngest ever mascots.

It was just really lovely for her, it really was.

It's been a hard few days and something like that just really lifts it.

Going through Mothering Sunday, obviously missing the boys like mad.

But seeing her and knowing that Stuart and Fraser will be watching,

it means so much.

On the intensive care unit,

Stuart's family have consented to organ donation.

-Are you ringing Harefields?

-Harefields.

-Do you want me

-to go onto the next one as a provisional?

-Yes.

Specialist nurses Angharad and Charlotte are working hard

to find the best matches across the UK for his organs.

It's a full offer, and it's for a liver with a kidney.

Yeah. So I'll be looking at mobilising the team very soon.

Fab. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Bye.

Part of Charlotte's role is to keep the family informed.

Hello. The liver has been accepted for donation.

-Oh, good.

-At the moment, we've got the kidneys being offered out,

so they'll let us know if we've got any matching recipients for the kidneys.

I know it's awful for you guys because it's kind of a waiting phase, isn't it, in terms of...?

-I've washed the cups, so just come and let me know and I'll do another tea round.

-No, I'm fine, honestly.

Donor families are always phenomenal.

They have the bad news, they have to accept that and then

they have to wait for us to then facilitate the organ donation.

That's a long time for them to just still be either in the hospital

or at home waiting for us to tell them the outcome,

and that's... They're amazing.

They're always amazing.

Once everything's in place, the team will need to go straight to theatre.

Charlotte briefs the organ retrieval surgeons.

With regards to tissues, they said yes to the heart valves.

Lots of blood tests.

Oh, tell me about it.

Anwar's still waiting for his kidney transplant.

I think it's about eight, nine times they've done this today.

Overnight.

He's been admitted to hospital following complications

with his dialysis.

My line has failed.

I've had a temporary line inserted into my groin area,

and hopefully this will then come back out now this afternoon.

And then a new one will be going back in.

Basically, that's where we are.

With no suitable donors so far,

Anwar's kidney function is depleting by the day.

Cos I've got Asian origin,

of an Asian origin, yes, it is difficult.

It is difficult. You know, that is one of the main reasons in my case.

It doesn't have to be an Asian organ, but...

..they are a better match.

It's in the lap of the gods.

It's in the lap of the gods.

You know, I might have this now and go home.

Come Saturday morning, I might have a phone call from dialysis,

"Come on down to the big house, we've got a present for you."

You know, you just...

We don't know. We don't know what's round the corner, do we?

Chocolate in your bed, Miss!

Toast crumbs, as well.

Ten-year-old Jade is also waiting for a kidney transplant.

What are you doing, silly?

Hi, sweetheart, you all right? Give us a kiss.

However, for her, the wait may not be too long.

This morning, Jade and mum Mercedes have a special visitor -

grandad Dave.

She's bouncing around. She seems quite happy, that's the main thing.

Oh, she's been attached to the machine for...

..ten hours, hasn't she? So...

-Yeah.

-She's had enough of it.

The family have made the decision to look closer to home

for a kidney match, and there's been good news.

So we're going to have a shared kidney, aren't we?

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

It was mine, then it'll be yours.

Yes. Jade's named it.

-Oh, what is it?

-Dave the kidney.

-Dave the kidney.

-Dave the kidney.

Good thinking. I like the style.

-Naming them last night, weren't we?

-We'll go for Dave the kidney.

The gift of a live kidney could mean the best possible outcome for Jade.

Apart from the fact that obviously it's a grandfather's duty,

or whatever, it works out right because obviously if she needs

another one in 20 years' time, which is most likely,

she then obviously can have Mercedes'.

Because Mercedes is obviously a good match, as well,

so it sorts her out for a few years yet.

Donating a kidney isn't a simple or quick procedure.

Just tell me your address, please.

We need to give you an injection of X-ray dye today for the test.

-Okey doke.

-Are you allergic to anything?

No.

Dave will have to endure many scans and tests

in order for a potential transplant to go ahead.

They told me there was lots of tests to go through, etc.

But obviously, you don't realise quite how many until you start doing it.

It's all worth it, though, isn't it?

Oh, it'll be worth it for Jade, yeah.

Ta-ra, sweetheart. All right.

You be good, see you tomorrow.

The time has come for Stuart to go to the operating theatre.

His family have said their goodbyes.

He did look at peace.

He looked as though he was sleeping and...

Well, out of pain.

Because he had been in so much pain.

-Water's finished now.

-So we'll get the left vein out of the way,

which will give us space to explore this.

We've been with the patient all day, going through the process

of offering out the organs.

When you actually get to this stage where the organs are being retrieved

you've got an idea that, yes, these are going on for transplantation.

Left kidney. Thank you.

The liver will reach its recipient via pioneering technology

managed by surgeon David Nasralla.

What this machine does is it will provide the liver

with oxygenated blood, medications and nutrients

at normal body temperature.

It will mean we can preserve the liver for much longer periods

of time and ultimately be able to transplant many more organs.

Hopefully with improved outcomes in the recipients.

And that's what we're aiming for.

It wasn't until afterwards that they tell you that the liver went

and the heart valves and the kidneys.

It's just given me a nice sense of peace, really...

..that we were able to help somebody out there.

Since the change in the law a year ago in Wales,

there has already been a significant increase in the consent rate

for organs available to change lives.

I'm very proud of him,

because he's helped three people and that's important.

You know, they've got life with their families for a bit longer.

However long,

it's a bonus, isn't it?