0:00:19 > 0:00:24That's me, lying on the operating table in hospital.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27It's the biggest moment of my life.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31You see, my body stopped working properly.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36But I have a superhero ready to save me.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38My dad.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42This is the story of me, my dad and his kidney.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48I'm Raphael.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53I'm nine years old, and I live in Bedford with my mum and dad.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54My mum's awesome.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58And my dad's amazing too,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and we do everything together.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05My dad's like a little friend to me...when he's not grumpy.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09My life was going great until nine months ago.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12And then everything went horribly wrong.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I became very poorly. I couldn't wee at all.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I could only vomit. That's cos I had Goodpasture's syndrome.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Goodpasture's syndrome is a really rare illness
0:01:25 > 0:01:28that affects one in a million children.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32It left me fighting for my life.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34In hospital, I was a bit scared.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38He was in a very, very serious condition. A very serious condition.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40He was a completely different child,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42a child that I thought we were losing.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46My illness killed my kidneys.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52I had no idea what kidneys were.
0:00:00 > 0:00:00I thought is it a chocolate or what is it?
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Those two little beans are my kidneys.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Your kidneys basically clean your blood,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00getting rid of all the waste and chemicals that build up.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02They filter your blood about 400 times a day,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05so they are pretty busy.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10But my two kidneys don't work any more, and they can't be fixed.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14The good news is, I have a Super-Dad
0:02:14 > 0:02:15ready to save me.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20You see, you only need one kidney to keep you alive.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And my dad is giving me one of his kidneys.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27He's my son, I love him
0:02:27 > 0:02:31and I think any parent in the world would do the same if they could.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35I'm quite privileged, really, that I'm in a position to help him.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44In just a week's time, my dad and I will be having an operation
0:02:44 > 0:02:47called a kidney transplant.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51The surgeons are going to take out one of Dad's kidneys
0:02:51 > 0:02:52and put it into my body.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54But until the operation,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I'm being kept alive by a machine that lives in my bedroom.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01This is my dialysis machine.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05And this is like my kidney but outside of my body.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07When your kidneys work,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11you get rid of all your waste when you go for a wee
0:03:11 > 0:03:12but I can't do that.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15So, the dialysis machine does it for me.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16It's like a big filter
0:03:16 > 0:03:20that flushes out all the bad stuff out of my body.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23A special cleaning fluid is pumped into my body
0:03:23 > 0:03:24through a tube in my tummy.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30This fluid travels right through me and takes away all the waste.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Each night, my mum sets up the dialysis machine.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37This machine is keeping Raphael alive.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Without this machine he wouldn't be able to function.
0:03:41 > 0:03:4614 litres of liquid pass through my body every night.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49That's like 44 cans of drink.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54While most kids spend their evenings however they want,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I'm trapped in my bedroom from eight o'clock each night
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and I can't get out till morning.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04And it's not just the dialysis machine that gets me down.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10Because my machine can only do 20% of what real kidneys can do,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14I can only drink up to one litre of liquid a day,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17which is less than half of what most kids drink.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I have to measure everything.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27After this transplant we'll be back to where we should be.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32My dad and I are going to have our kidney transplant operation
0:04:32 > 0:04:33in a week's time.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Once I have Dad's kidney inside me, I won't need dialysis any more,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41and, hopefully, I'll be back how I used to be.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Luckily for us, at Great Ormond Street Hospital
0:04:44 > 0:04:51there are some very clever doctors who do this operation all the time.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54This is one of the most famous hospitals in the world
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and the best bit is, it's just for kids.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Hello.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Are you my surgeon?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Are you my patient?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Nice to meet you, Raphael.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07You will come to this hospital here,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and your dad will go to the adult hospital
0:05:10 > 0:05:12which is just down the road.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Your dad's kidney is about the size of my fist.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19And, believe it or not, we can hide that inside your tummy
0:05:19 > 0:05:21without you really knowing it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24How long do you think the kidney will last?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27That's a very good question.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29To be honest with you, Raphael, nobody knows.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32But I hope it lasts you about 10-15 years.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36My operation is only two days away
0:05:36 > 0:05:42and it's time for us all to face the music.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Worried about Raphael.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46He's going to go through a lot the next few days
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and I don't think he don't think he realises at the moment.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51What's going to happen on Tuesday?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I'm having my operation.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55How do you feel about it?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Uh, scared.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59But what are you looking forward to?
0:05:59 > 0:06:05Going to, like, football clubs and stay over, sleepovers.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Feeling better.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12We're off to London for my big operation.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Fingers crossed, when I come back home
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I'll have one of Dad's kidneys inside me.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Dad needs to travel across London to Guy's Hospital,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28to get ready for his operation.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31It's time to say goodbye.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I love you very much, and hopefully, you look after yourself
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- and I hope the doctors look after you and the nurses.- They will do.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Kisses.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42I feel very sad because I won't be seeing him for a couple of days,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47but I know the nurses and the doctors will take care of him.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Today is the operation day.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I'm feeling quite nervous but very happy.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Dad has to be brave first.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07His surgeon, Mr Olsberg,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11has been performing kidney transplants for seven years,
0:07:11 > 0:07:12so Dad's in safe hands.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17What Duane is doing for Raphael is an amazing thing.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19It's a big operation to go through.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24The surgeon operates through a small hole in Dad's tummy.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28This is called keyhole surgery.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32It means he can use a special camera and get right inside Dad's body
0:07:32 > 0:07:34without leaving a big scar.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39An hour into Dad's operation and Dad's kidney is in sight.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42The surgeon can slowly disconnect it
0:07:42 > 0:07:46from the important tubes and blood vessels in Dad's body,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48and safely take it out,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52leaving the other kidney to take over all cleaning duties.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Beautiful kidney. Lovely. OK.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56So, why don't we bag that then?
0:07:56 > 0:08:01To keep Dad's kidney alive, it's put in ice and wrapped up safely for me.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It will only live for a few hours outside Dad's body,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09so they need to get it over to me quickly.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13As Dad's kidney makes its journey across London to my hospital...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20..it's my turn to be brave.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25My surgeon Mr Mahmoud needs to work quickly to get Dad's kidney into me.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30We're making an incision on the right side of the abdomen.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And we're going to need a big space cos it's a big kidney.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36An hour later
0:08:36 > 0:08:40and the surgeon has reached the most important part of the operation.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Now we're pretty much ready to put the kidney in.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46My surgeon carefully stitches together the blood vessels
0:08:46 > 0:08:49that carry blood to and from the kidney
0:08:49 > 0:08:53and attaches the tube that carries wee to my bladder.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Once the blood begins to flow into the kidney,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00it should begin to work in my body and start to make urine.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05It's been over two hours since my operation began
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and it's a long, worrying wait for my mum.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12I feel really scared for both of them
0:09:12 > 0:09:16because they're the most precious people in my life.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20After three hours Dad's kidney is connected,
0:09:20 > 0:09:26and it turns from purple to pink and starts making urine.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30The kidney looks very nice.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's working nicely so we're very pleased.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Now, after four hours apart...
0:09:38 > 0:09:42..Mum is able to see me again.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Daddy sends his love to you.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I feel very proud that he's been so brave.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I know he's gone through so much pain.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56So, I'm going to send this picture to Daddy now.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00My photo flies across to Guy's Hospital in London
0:10:00 > 0:10:02and into Dad's mobile.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Knowing I'm OK brings a big smile to his face.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10It's all worth it now. I'm happy, really, really happy.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Three days after giving me a kidney,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20I can finally see my dad again, face to face.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Hello.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26How are you?
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And it's the best feeling ever.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Careful. Are you all right?
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Careful.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37You all right?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41And has my kidney been well behaved?
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It's quite heavy.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It's like three bricks inside my body when I walk,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48that's why I have to do penguin steps.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Seeing Raphael makes it worthwhile.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56The pain and suffering and everything,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59to see that he's healthy and back on his feet again, where he should be.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I'll get up now.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Lean on me if you need to.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18I love you, Daddy, very very much.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- Thank you.- Good boy.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I have been in hospital for a week now
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and I'm hoping I'll be well enough to go home soon.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Hello, how are you doing?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38But it's up to Dr Marks to decide.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The good news is that you can be discharged from the ward today.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44It's amazing,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48an amazing transformation from a child who was so unwell
0:11:48 > 0:11:52so, I can say I've got my son back.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Over the next couple of months my life changes, big time.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02My dialysis machine is gone and I can sleep again.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04It's still early days,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08but everything is going according to plan.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Having a new kidney feels tremendous.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I can drink a lot, I can eat a lot,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and it makes me feel much better and much happier.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19To celebrate, Mum and Dad have brought me to Manchester
0:12:19 > 0:12:22to my favourite football club!
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I thought I was coming to watch the match,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28but there's a big surprise in store for me!
0:12:28 > 0:12:32On behalf of Manchester United Foundation,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I want you to be the mascot tonight for Manchester United.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Yay!
0:12:38 > 0:12:40I can't believe it!
0:12:40 > 0:12:44I feel like the luckiest boy alive!
0:12:44 > 0:12:48'Premier League champions, Manchester United!'
0:12:48 > 0:12:51CHEERING
0:12:51 > 0:12:55And we both lead the team out in front of 75,000 people.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It doesn't get much better than this!
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Really, really brilliant. A special day today.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10It's quite a moving experience watching him go out there.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12It's just absolutely incredible.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15If he was still on dialysis this wouldn't have happened.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21So thanks to Duane's kidney, now Raphael's got a new life.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25I've had a brilliant day today
0:13:25 > 0:13:28and it's probably one of the best I've ever had.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And it's all because of my Super-Dad.