0:00:02 > 0:00:04I mean, you always hear about people's families and you don't
0:00:04 > 0:00:06really think about it until it comes to your own door.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11To have been told that you could survive and get new life
0:00:11 > 0:00:14from a new kidney was the only hope I was living on.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Truly, our donors are our heroes.
0:00:16 > 0:00:21They put themselves on the line for the love of another human being.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Just got a call from ICU. Told us that they might have a body.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28It's hard, you know, moving a child or baby.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31They haven't really lived a life.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34So, this gentleman's coming with a wound to the back of his head
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and a sore-looking eye but we don't know why.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39He doesn't speak any English at all.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41The first two nights, I cried myself to sleep.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44My husband was murdered during the Troubles,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47so I've sort of never got over that, like.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50There are times when I would go away and I would weep,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54because, yeah, some of the things are very difficult.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10We've spent a year looking under the skin of the health service,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12focusing on the large team of people
0:01:12 > 0:01:15who dedicate their lives to saving ours.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Around 1,700 people in Northern Ireland
0:01:19 > 0:01:21are living with end-stage renal failure.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24800 patients are on dialysis.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Last year, the Belfast team performed
0:01:28 > 0:01:32a record-breaking 115 kidney transplants.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36We're now number one in the world
0:01:36 > 0:01:40and this makes the whole unit feel immensely proud.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I'm William Spiers.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I'm from Killyleagh.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47I discovered that I took a cyst in my belly button.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The doctors rang me to say they'd found something in my blood.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55They discovered that my kidney function was only working at 15%.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00So whenever they scanned my kidneys, they could hardly see them at first,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04because they were that small and they'd shrivelled up.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10It's difficult for me to convey how dangerous kidney failure is.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Your life expectancy is halved.
0:02:13 > 0:02:19It's got a worse survival than most cancers.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23My brother Jonny here is going to give me his kidney on Wednesday,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27so if all goes well, it'll be life-changing for me.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Even a blood test, I would get worried about going to the hospital
0:02:30 > 0:02:33for that and that's only a simple thing,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37so, nervous but still excited at the same time.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Hopefully it'll not be too bad for me.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44It'll be nothing compared to what my brother has to go through anyway.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48So, anybody in the same situation would do it, so they would.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51No, but he's very brave, too.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53He's a hard nut, like.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02You always hear of it in other people's families
0:03:02 > 0:03:06and you don't really think about it until it comes to your own door.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11When it does, it definitely hits you, like, so it does.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12It hits everybody.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Dialysis can only work for so long, for some people,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22and, you know, whenever I was told all this, it didn't really...
0:03:22 > 0:03:24You know, it was really hard to take in.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28It does make you a wee bit emotional,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30so it does.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35You know, to have been told that you could survive and
0:03:35 > 0:03:40get new life from a new kidney was the only hope I was living on.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It was just the relief that he got a kidney,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48so it was. It just happened to be mine.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52I'd have been happy if it had have been my sister or my brother's
0:03:52 > 0:03:56but it just turned out that mine was the best match available.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05At the Royal Belfast Hospital For Sick Children,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08paediatric neurodisability consultant Claire Lundy
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and occupational therapist Julia Maskeray
0:04:11 > 0:04:14have an appointment with three-year-old Aoife.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Aoife's case would be fairly typical of a child presenting
0:04:17 > 0:04:20with hemiplegia which have resulted in a problem
0:04:20 > 0:04:22with moving the right arm.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I know.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26We need our marbles.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29We need to open our bottle
0:04:29 > 0:04:34and pour them into our saucepan to make our soup.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37You do it. Aoife do it.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Good girl. So, holding.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41One hand to hold.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Yes.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Clever, clever girl.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Today, Julia will focus on Aoife's right hand.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Oh, Mummy, wait till you see.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56The assessment is play based but it really does assess how effectively
0:04:56 > 0:04:58a child uses their two hands through play.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59What about this hand?
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Can you put a bracelet on this hand?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04One, two. Or will we tidy up?
0:05:04 > 0:05:07What do you think? Do you want it on?
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Oh, lovely.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Gorgeous.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15They are actually trying to elicit certain behaviours with the upper
0:05:15 > 0:05:19limb and it can be to see whether they can actually grasp
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and stabilise an object, so it does look like I'm playing but we
0:05:22 > 0:05:25are actually looking to see is what it is that's
0:05:25 > 0:05:26limiting that child's function.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Aoife did really well there, didn't she?
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- She did, didn't she? - You're a wee star, aren't you?
0:05:31 > 0:05:32One of the things that we noticed is
0:05:32 > 0:05:37that her grip is limited by her thumb being stuck across the hand.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41One of the treatments that can be very helpful is using botulinum toxin,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44a day case procedure up in Musgrave Park.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48And the aim of the botulinum treatment is to improve her grip
0:05:48 > 0:05:53and hopefully the functional use of her right hand.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56The botulinum toxin gives us a window of opportunity but what
0:05:56 > 0:05:58actually has to come is a lot of activity.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01It is the activity that creates the change.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06- Good girl. Well done. - Super-duper.- Smart lady.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13In Craigavon, hospital porter Paul Anderson starts his shift.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Porters.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21A typical day of our porter is transfers from ward to ward.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Blood units. They bring all the linen up to the wards.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Then there's security too.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27If any people's kicking off, or anything, we just go up
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and try to calm them down and put them back to bed.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Usually on the weekends, it'll all kick-off.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Giving abuse out all the time to nurses, so they phone us.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Sometimes we see it on the camera before the nurse even says.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39You can even tell who's coming to the door,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42who's going to kick off, the state of them. They're drunk.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Part of Paul's job is looking after the car park.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I'm just out here studying cars,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55cars that are not supposed to be parked here.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It's not right on disabled people. We have to go out and put these
0:06:58 > 0:07:00stickers on them just to warn them to not park there again.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10I had to sticker a man's car there, so I did.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13It was in a disabled spot, so I had to put a sticker on it.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15They're a bit hard to get off, so they are, so I don't like doing it,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17like, but it has to be done.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Maybe it'll give him a hint not to park there again.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35The day has finally arrived for Jonathan
0:07:35 > 0:07:37to donate his kidney to his brother William.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40There's nothing routine about living donor surgery.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43The stakes are so high in terms of outcomes.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47When these things go well, it's fantastic, but
0:07:47 > 0:07:51when things go wrong, you really feel it.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Reality is just kicking in for William and his girlfriend Joanna.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59There's no turning back now, so there's not.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01The nerves is kicking in...
0:08:02 > 0:08:04..but, sure, it has to be done.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Yeah, I'm really excited that he's finally getting a kidney.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Like, people don't really realise how much it changes your life being
0:08:12 > 0:08:17on dialysis. I feel like I'm going to cry now talking about it...
0:08:17 > 0:08:21It's been a tough year, like, for us.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22So it has.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Very nervous. I'll be happy when it's over and he's back up here.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The Spiers family have had their fair share of heartache this year.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42We're a very close family, like,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45especially this year has brought us all together, real close.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50It'll be strange now whenever I get home, so it will,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52because I have two kids at home.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55They're staying with their granny, so they're all excited about that.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00I had three kids but one of them unfortunately passed away last year.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Kayla passed away at the end of August.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08She lived for four days and...
0:09:10 > 0:09:12It just wasn't meant to be.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Truly, our donors are our heroes, they really are.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23They put themselves on the line for the love of another human being.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Whether it's their brother, whether it's their sister, mother, father,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32they've put themselves at risk
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and the risks are significant.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Right, then.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46It's definitely a good thing he's doing, like.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52I'll see you later on. Right, Vanessa.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05At the A&E in the Royal,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08triage nurse Jane Wilson has an interesting day ahead.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17So, this gentleman's come in with a wound to the back of his head and a
0:10:17 > 0:10:20sore-looking eye but we don't know why.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22He doesn't speak any English at all. Could you interpret for me, please?
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Could you ask this gentleman what's brought him up to A&E?
0:10:27 > 0:10:29All right.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30IN OWN LANGUAGE:
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Thank you.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58A fall? When did that happen?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Did he tell you anything about the fall?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It's really, really important that I know, was he knocked out or not?
0:11:04 > 0:11:06I need you to ask him, did he get knocked out?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Was he unconscious?
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I need that answer. And I also need to know why is he on warfarin?
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Here you go.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- Mr Lin produces a hospital letter. - Thank you.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26I think, roughly, he fell this morning and he doesn't know why.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29So, he just woke up on the floor so we'll have to just treat it like it
0:11:29 > 0:11:33was some sort of heart collapse or something severe and work back.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39After consulting with the interpreting service,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42it appears that Mr Lin lost consciousness
0:11:42 > 0:11:43whilst sitting on the toilet.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Apparently he fell, resulting in a head injury.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Further tests are now needed to rule out anything more sinister
0:11:50 > 0:11:52than just a cut to his head.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03In Belfast City Hospital,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Mr Tim Brown and his team prepare donor Jonathan for his surgery.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10All William can do now is wait.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Mr Brown will perform keyhole surgery to remove Jonathan's kidney.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25He begins by making two incisions in Jonathan's side and inserting a
0:12:25 > 0:12:27camera to help him navigate his way through
0:12:27 > 0:12:30the vital organs to reach the kidney.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34So, we just put some gas into the tummy to make sure that we can see
0:12:34 > 0:12:37what's what, so that it gives us some room to operate.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41And that's hopefully what we'll be able to use to take this kidney out,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44so, what we've got to do is move a few things out of the way
0:12:44 > 0:12:46to get to the kidney. We've got the colon here
0:12:46 > 0:12:48which we're going to have to move out of the way.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53It's got natural adhesions to the tummy wall,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55which we'll have to take down first of all.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59I'm using an instrument that cuts with ultrasound,
0:12:59 > 0:13:05so what it does, it cuts and seals any blood vessels,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09because it's nice not to operate with any blood around.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14After two and a half hours, Jonathan's kidney is removed.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18We're going to disconnect the kidney from the blood supply.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Just come back.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24So, this bit is the time-crucial bit.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27We want to try to minimise the time at all because when the kidney
0:13:27 > 0:13:30is warm and not getting a blood supply,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32then that's when the damage to the tissue is done.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37A larger cavity is needed to retrieve the kidney.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44So the problem is we've made a hole in the lining of the tummy in order
0:13:44 > 0:13:48to get the bag in but we need to still keep operating with
0:13:48 > 0:13:50the gas inside the tummy,
0:13:50 > 0:13:55so this is what this elaborate sort of situation is about now.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Gas on, please.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Jonathan's kidney is now ready for retrieval.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08And then what we do is we put the kidney in the bag.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12There we go. Scoop it up.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Lovely. Lovely.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20OK. Top lights on, please.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Very good. And that goes over to get nice perfusion.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29When the kidney comes out,
0:14:29 > 0:14:35we need to make sure that all the blood vessels are suitable for
0:14:35 > 0:14:39transplantation, so there's a bit of tidying up on the back bench when
0:14:39 > 0:14:41the blood is flushed out of the kidney
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and it's cooled down to stop the metabolism of the kidney
0:14:44 > 0:14:50in order to preserve it while it's not being perfused with blood.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53So, it looks like a nice kidney. Very pleased with that.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Just give it a bit of a tidy up.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Make it look pretty. Very, very pleased with that.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17In Craigavon, porters Paul and Raymond are on the night shift.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Tonight, they face one of the tougher parts of the job.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24Dealing with death is a big part of hospital life.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28You soon get used to it, like, it's just part of the job.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30You don't even think about it after a while.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Sometimes three or four a day, so...
0:15:32 > 0:15:35So it's a right few over the year, like.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42When I first started,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44if I had to move the body, it was tight enough.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I didn't really like doing them.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54It's hard. Especially, I've got a child and all, so it's hard,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57you know, moving a child or a baby or anybody under a certain age.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I've a child myself, like, so I don't really like doing them.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Like Raymond was saying, young ones are hard to do,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05but you soon get used to it. It's part of the job.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14You don't even think about it after a while.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17You just get on with it and that's it, really.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Jonathan's surgery is over and he's taken to recovery.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Are you feeling all right?
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Just tired. A wee bit of pain but nothing...
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I've felt worse, like.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54That was a very long day, waiting for him.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01It's now William's turn for surgery.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03So this morning's operation was keyhole.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06This is definitely not a keyhole operation.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09This'll be what we call an open operation.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Mr Brown begins by opening an area of tissue
0:17:12 > 0:17:14just above William's groin.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24The new kidney is placed in this area
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and connected to the main artery in William's leg.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- So can you see in the screen yet? - Yes?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Yeah, so that's the blood supply to the leg.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33That's the external iliac artery.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37So what we've got to do is prepare these vessels to accept the kidney,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42so that means getting rid of some of the tissue surrounding them.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43Yeah, this way.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Right, so now we've got the kidney
0:17:48 > 0:17:51that Jonathan so kindly donated this morning.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57So we got the ureter, we've got the artery here sitting behind them.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01So what we've got to do is join, put the ureter onto the bladder.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04OK, so what we want to do now, see how he wants to sit.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06That looks like he wants to sit there very nicely.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08In order to get the kidney connected,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10we need to make a hole in the vein
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and to do that, we need to get control of it,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16so we've closed off the vein on one side and to the other.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Can I get a knife, please? Thank you.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21So now we're going to make a hole in this vein and hope that
0:18:21 > 0:18:25the instrument has connected it properly, which it hasn't.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Suddenly, the clamp fails but within seconds,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31he has the bleed under control.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35The team can now transplant Jonathan's kidney into William.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39The moment of truth is when the grey kidney plumps up and turns pink.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41So you can see, it's all white, so what we're going to do
0:18:41 > 0:18:43is let the artery in and that'll go pink,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45hopefully, and swell up.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47That's exactly what we want to see.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51and then let the vein in and that's the kidney back to life again.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53So what we're looking for now is the ureter.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55I want to see clear liquid coming out of here, so we'll see...
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Oh, and there we go. So the kidney's started to pass water already,
0:18:59 > 0:19:00so that's really good.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04The transplant is almost complete.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06So you can see the artery joined there
0:19:06 > 0:19:08onto to the external iliac artery,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11a nice pulse and the vein in front of him here
0:19:11 > 0:19:13just going on the iliac vein in front of it.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16A nice pink kidney and then the ureter's
0:19:16 > 0:19:19going in there into the bladder there.
0:19:19 > 0:19:20It's nice.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Very pleased.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30It's been two days since William received Jonathan's kidney.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33He's waiting for his creatinine test results
0:19:33 > 0:19:35to see how well it's performing.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- Well, William, how's it going? - All right? Not too bad, thanks.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- Good. Feeling OK? - Yes, feeling brilliant.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Wonderful, wonderful.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46The numbers have come way down so, before we started,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- your creatinine was over 600...- Yes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50..and today it's 200, so...
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- That's very good. - Over 48 hours, that's superb.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55So, great. Yeah, you look fantastic. I'm delighted, really delighted.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- Thanks so much.- OK, all right, see you later.- Thank you.- OK.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02A significant decrease in creatinine levels indicates
0:20:02 > 0:20:04that the new kidney is functioning as normal.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- Good, all right, so you're feeling OK, not too sore?- Not too bad.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11- Good. Have you been up and around?- I've been up.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13I went for a walk earlier and got washed all by myself.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- Good man.- Glad it's over. - Glad it's over, absolutely.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- You and me both.- Thank you. - You're very welcome. Right, OK.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- All right.- See you in a bit. - Thank you very much.- All right, OK.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I was sick, yesterday.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30It was rough with all the stitching and all that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Then I felt all right after that, like.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35People say he's looking worse than me!
0:20:35 > 0:20:37So, I don't know.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40But, no, I think he's doing all right, like.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43He'll soon recover and the surgeon said he'll be out
0:20:43 > 0:20:46in a few days' time and all, so.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Did you get a drop of dinner, did you?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Aye, smoked fish or something.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Are you getting the hell out?
0:20:53 > 0:20:57I'll say it's lovely as we're on camera, but it's not really.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- Are you feeling well anyway? - Oh, aye.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02It's good to see him up and about, like.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06That's what it was all for, like, so it was.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Definitely.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Having that kidney, that doubles his life expectancy
0:21:13 > 0:21:18immediately compared to being on renal dialysis
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and he will be able to lead a normal life.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Two months after her assessment, Aoife returns
0:21:31 > 0:21:36to Musgrave Park Hospital for her botulinum toxin injection.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Ideally what we'd like to do today is to do two injections,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44one in her little thumb to help bring the thumb position out
0:21:44 > 0:21:45and help improve...
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Just like that, angel, just like that. OK?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Well, that'll be good, won't it, darling?
0:21:49 > 0:21:51It's going to help your hand, isn't it?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Well, I just do that with my thumb
0:21:53 > 0:21:56with the other thumb, that's why.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Like this.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Can we do high-fives?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Good girl!
0:22:03 > 0:22:06'The medication itself is a very small volume'
0:22:06 > 0:22:09and we use very fine needles but children who're old enough
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and can tell us, say that some of the injections in the upper limb,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15there's a slight sting but that's about it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18For young children, even the process of coming up to hospital
0:22:18 > 0:22:22can sometimes cause distress and I think in Aoife's case,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24one of the things that bothered her
0:22:24 > 0:22:30was actually the jelly that we need to use for ultrasound scanning.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34In the end, Dr Lundy decides to give Aoife her injection a bit later
0:22:34 > 0:22:38but she's able to give Eva, who's in the next bed, her injection.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Eva has been born with cerebral palsy
0:22:42 > 0:22:45affecting her left side.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Her left arm, she has very little use of it at all
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and she can't hold anything in it, she's no grasp.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55So we're hoping that these injections today can maybe just
0:22:55 > 0:22:59loosen her arm up a wee bit and give her a wee bit more use of it.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Who's going to sit beside you of these guys?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Both.- Both of them, OK.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08'The families that I work with are just incredible.'
0:23:08 > 0:23:13They constantly surprise me with, you know,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16their level of commitment to their children.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20You're OK, pet, you're all right.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24- A little jag, pet.- It's going to take two seconds.- Superstar.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26You are super.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Good girl.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Brilliant. Good girl.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31That's a big smile.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35'For many families, their children are in daily pain
0:23:35 > 0:23:40'and those would be the children that we really try and prioritise
0:23:40 > 0:23:42'as best we can'
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and I don't know that I could ever do what they do.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48So stretch your arm out this way.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53In Belfast's Mater Hospital,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Chaplain Rosie Morton begins her rounds.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Being a chaplain is a distinct ministry.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04It's different to being in a parish or a church
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and it's different because you are part of a team.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10There are times when I would go away and I'm not so brave faced,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I would weep, because some of the things are very difficult.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16'It's not a role for the faint-hearted.'
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Hello, Ann. It's lovely to see you.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- Nice to see you, too. - Now, I haven't seen you for...
0:24:23 > 0:24:27- Since last week.- It was. Last time I was in a different ward.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28The first two nights, I cried myself to sleep,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I couldn't sleep.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- Yeah.- But thank goodness now I can.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36'Ann is quite a sad story.'
0:24:36 > 0:24:40She has lost touch with some of her family.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- And, Ann, would you like me to say a wee prayer with you?- I would.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Well, you could pray for my son who I haven't seen for about 16 years.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52- Just that he's fine and I hope he keeps well, you know?- OK.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56And he's two children, so I don't see them, you know?
0:24:57 > 0:25:01And, it's hard to... I know it's a long time ago,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05but it's hard to sometimes cope with it, you know?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Do you have any other family?
0:25:08 > 0:25:12No, I have two brothers but we don't bother...
0:25:12 > 0:25:14And my sister died about a year and a half ago
0:25:14 > 0:25:17and I just read that in the paper.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Oh, goodness.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22And my husband was murdered during the Troubles, so...
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I've sort of never got over that, like.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28You've had an awful lot of hard things.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29I have but people don't...
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- don't realise, you know what I mean?- No.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- Well, will I say a prayer?- Yes.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Gracious God, we come as we are
0:25:40 > 0:25:44because we can do no other than be ourselves.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'Clearly there's been stuff...'
0:25:47 > 0:25:50A really difficult number of things in her life.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53But today and every day be close to Ann.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Amen.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57- Thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- That was lovely.- Thank you.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Well, it's been good seeing you today.- It's good seeing you.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09It's very humbling, meeting somebody and listening to that.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16It's been over three months since
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Jonathan donated his kidney to William.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Life has changed dramatically.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Obviously, after the operation it takes a bit of time
0:26:25 > 0:26:28for all the healing process and all to take place.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Just waking up and feeling healthy and strong,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36you know, being able to eat my steak again, is...
0:26:36 > 0:26:38is mighty.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42We are a close family, like, but Johnny,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45when I look at him now, like, he's definitely...
0:26:45 > 0:26:49You know, for him to do that for me was amazing, like,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and I just think the world of my brother.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Well, I'm keeping well now, like!
0:26:57 > 0:27:00The first few days was a bit tough.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Well, I wouldn't say tough, just a bit...
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I was maybe a bit sicker than I thought I was going to be but just
0:27:06 > 0:27:10everyday after that, gradually you could feel yourself getting better.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Now I wouldn't even know I've had the op, whereas for William there,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16he's just totally, totally changed.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18It's like the difference between night and day.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22It makes me feel that it was worth it, so it was.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29The wife, she's expecting again now, which is sort of like
0:27:29 > 0:27:33a bit of sunshine in the bit of bad weather,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35you could call it, that we had.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- Go ahead.- Pull.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51By receiving that kidney, I would hope that that kidney would last,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53on average, at least 25 years
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and give William a successful life for 25 years,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and our record in Belfast
0:27:59 > 0:28:02for length of graft function is 40 years and still going.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10'It feels amazing just to be out and about again
0:28:10 > 0:28:14'and enjoying each other's company again
0:28:14 > 0:28:16'now we're all fit and well.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22'I think people take life for granted, sometimes.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24'It is a pretty amazing thing what the doctors
0:28:24 > 0:28:27'and all can do for you and I can't be more thankful for it.'