Salford Care Organisation Renal Department

07/01/2026

Stop... Think.... Have you considered home haemodialysis?

30/12/2025

Earlier this week, our incredible Live Donor Team at Salford/NCA celebrated a huge achievement — their 26th Living Kidney Donation of 2025 being completed! This is a record!! Amazing work from our live donor team and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Transplant surgeons and nurses

Earlier this week, our incredible Live Donor Team at Salford celebrated a huge achievement — their 25th Living Kidney Donation of 2025 being completed! 🙌

This matches last year’s total, and we couldn’t be prouder of the donors, recipients, and the dedicated team who make this possible.

Thank you to everyone who plays a part in giving the gift of life.

NHS Organ Donation NHS Blood and Transplant

26/09/2025

Posted with consent.
Our kidney story began in November 2017 our daughter Maisie who was 9 at the time had not been feeling herself, very tired and not eating for a couple of weeks. Following a blood test, we got the shock news that she had end stage kidney failure and was very poorly due to a rare auto immune disease called ANCA vasculitis. She had to have lines put in immediately and she started dialysis straight away. The following months were extremely tough not just for Maisie but for the whole family especially her sisters Gabriella who was 12 and Francesca 4 years old. We spent that Christmas in and out of hospital while she was on dialysis hoping for a miracle that she might get some function back, but it wasn't to be we were told in March 2018 that she was going to need a transplant so was told about the option of a living donor, without hesitation myself and her dad went to be tested. We got the amazing news that we we're both a match but, in the end, decided her dad would be the donor as he had less mismatches and we wanted her to have the best chance. She had a few complications in the coming months and had to have both kidneys removed in February 2019 following that she was very poorly with pneumonia which delayed the transplant but finally on the 9th May 2019 the transplant finally happened it was a very long and stressful day waiting for both Maisie and her dad to come back from surgery but right from that first day we could see a difference in her she'd had to have a feeding tube in the run up to surgery to get her as strong as possible but the first morning it was removed and she just thrived from that day it was amazing to see her doing so well and not having to have dialysis meant she could get on and live a life of a normal 11 year old girl it was life changing.

Life was good Maisie was doing amazing then in August 2024 again totally out of the blue with no warning we got the devastating news that her older sister Gabriella also had end stage kidney failure, a biopsy was done but the cause is still unknown as you can imagine it was heartbreaking for us all to not only go through this once but the thought of dialysis again with our other daughter was devastating. She was at 9% function so would soon be needing dialysis. Knowing how amazing Maisie had done after her living donor we immediately started testing for a match I as her mum knew I was a match for Maisie but hoped to also be a match for her sister too. Her Aunty and a family friend came forward to be tested also which was an extremely generous offer but it meant so much for me to be able to do it for my other daughter. Luckily, I was a match which was a huge relief. She spent the coming months back and forward to Salford royal constantly having her bloods checked as we were so desperate to avoid dialysis by June 2025 her function had gone down to 6 % so she needed the transplant desperately so we we’re over the moon to be given a date of the 8th of July 2025. The transplant went ahead, and everything went really well we are now 10 weeks on, and she is doing fantastic she celebrated her 20th birthday recently with nights out with friends and family something she wasn't able to do before due to feeling so unwell. We as a family feel so incredibly grateful that both parents were able to give our daughters the gift of life in such a unique way. It still feels unbelievable that we’ve had to experience this with both daughters but seeing both Gabriella and Maisie recover and regain their energy and be able to get on and enjoy their life again has been a joy and living donation made it all possible the care, kindness and support from all the living donor team throughout our journey has been amazing.

26/09/2025

Organ Donation Week Kidney Care UK

Julian’s Story (consent gained)
It may sound strange but when I was first faced with a life-or-death decision to have a life-saving kidney transplant - I wasn’t 100% on board.
I was in my late-40s and had lived a full and wonderful life, so my first thought was just to accept my fate and not fight it. When you’re totally exhausted most of the time the last thing you can face is the upheaval of a major operation and all the future problems that may occur. And not to mention putting my husband through something so traumatic.
It took a couple of years of contemplation, the love of a good man, and the dedication of an NHS nurse to convince me that my life was worth fighting for.
And what a fight it was. Not a physical one like they tell you it will be, but an emotional and psychological one. It’s the one aspect that nobody explains to you, and even after the transplant has happened, it’s with you for life. Survivor guilt maybe? Or just the mind-blowing realization that someone loves you enough to put their life on the line.
And that’s all a transplant is about really, it’s just about the love. And when you finally accept your fate and walk through those hospital doors, you’ll be amazed at how much there is to go around.
Julian- Living Kidney Recipient October 2023

25/09/2025

Carole's story (posted with consent for
You don’t expect to take your previously healthy 16-year-old son to see the GP as he’d been feeling under the weather to be told he was in end stage renal failure. This happened to our son Jonathan in October 2008.

He had just finished his final year in Secondary School and was a few weeks into his chosen course at college when this devastating news turned his life upside down and changed forever.
Weeks in hospital ensued trying to find the cause as there was nothing obvious whilst waiting for his blood pressure to reduce to a safe level for a biopsy to be performed in the hope of shedding some light.
To everyone’s shock it was discovered that Lupus was the culprit, not something that had even considered for a red headed 16-year-old male. We were absolutely devastated.

By this stage dialysis was urgently needed and after discussion with the medical team, Jonathan and we as his parents agreed to Peritoneal. This decision would allow him to attend college as normal during the day, be with his friends and live his life as he would dialyse at home overnight.

As Jonathan’s parents there was no hesitation when the possibility of a living donation was discussed.
We understood that this was the gold standard way to donate, giving the best chance of a positive and long-term healthy outcome for the recipient. This was all we could hope for in the desperate desire to help our son.

There’s nothing harder than seeing your child desperately poorly and feeling so helpless, being tested for compatibility was a no brainer for us both. After a simple blood test for myself and Jonathan’s dad Sean, we discovered that we were both a near perfect match, happy days!!
After much deliberation it was decided that Sean should be the one to forge ahead with the more invasive testing as I had a medical history that could have been a stumbling block for me to donate and we did not want to waste time for Jonathan’s sake.

After 16 months of dialysis for Jonathan, getting him well enough for the operation and the work up for Sean, the transplant finally happened in March 2010 and was a resounding success.
Sean’s recovery was good, and Jonathan’s new kidney was working brilliantly from day one.
With his new lease of live provided by his dad, Jonathan lived life to the full.
There were ups and downs for us as a family dealing with the worry and practicalities of post-transplant life but after a period of adjustment it became easier, especially for Jonathan.
Unfortunately, in 2024 Jonathan’s transplant from his dad failed after 14 years and after a few close calls and serious heath scares he had to go on haemodialysis in November 2024. A temporary line was inserted in his neck to accommodate this in the hope of a positive outcome with my work up.
Just because your child is now an adult doesn’t change the way you feel and worry as a parent.
Witnessing the devastation and life-threatening challenges that renal failure brings to them for a second time and feeling helpless once again does not get any easier.

Knowing I was already a blood match from our initial testing back in 2008 there was again no hesitation from me to put myself forward in the hope of Live Donation once again for him.
Jonathan was not very receptive to the idea of his mum going through the process at first.

He was very anxious and worried about the possibility of anything happening to me during the operation especially with my past medical history.

After lots of reassuring chats with family and his fantastic renal team at Salford he agreed to me starting the work up process and we would take it from there knowing that they would only let it happen if it was safe for us both.
The work up was straightforward, and I was kept informed every step of the way.
After receiving the positive news that I had been given the green light to go ahead, Jonathan and myself finally underwent the operation in May 2025.

25/09/2025

On Sunday Claire Pitchford (our live donor nurse) organized a fantastic walk in the hills behind Bolton to raise awareness for . What an fantastic walk (interspersed with good hydration stops). Patients, carers, donors, nurses, fluffy friends and medics all together with one sole aim of increasing donation rates in Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and in UK. Kidneys for Life NHS Blood and Transplant Manchester Evening News

25/09/2025

Look whats gone pink for Organ Donation Week!!! Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust Salford Care Organisation

24/09/2025

Posted with consent for Organ Donation Week
“My husband Ash was diagnosed with end stage renal failure in 2013 at the age of 30 after a medical test at work showed he had protein in his urine. After further tests it showed he was at stage 4 renal failure which he had no idea of up until that day.

Things rapidly declined for Ash, and by 2015 he was at end stage kidney failure.

Lots of family and friends volunteered to be tested prior to him reaching end stage with a view to donating their kidney, but none were a match, apart from me (his wife).

However, I fell pregnant with our son and therefore obviously couldn't go through with the donation at that point.

Ash was on the kidney transplant list, but one day received a call to say an anonymous living donor had come forward and was a match. They had them in within a few weeks later for the transplant which was on 17.04.15.

He was so lucky that he managed to avoid dialysis as his eGFR was 12 at the time of transplant, and thankfully the surgery was successful.

At the time Ash wasn't made aware that his condition was IGA Nephropathy, so we thought he was cured for life, but unfortunately, we were so wrong.

A few weeks after the surgery at one of his check-ups a doctor told us that this condition is incurable, and there is a chance it will happen again! This was a devastating blow for us all, but there wasn't anything we could do other than ensure he was taking the correct medications etc and to hope it held off from coming back.

Things were great until the end of 2021 when Ash began feeling unwell again, and we were told the IGA has recurred in the transplanted kidney. The hospital continued to keep a close eye on him with regular checks ups etc.

In 2022 I went to be retested to donate to him, and again I was given the news that we were still matched, and I was healthy enough.

However, we were advised to hold off a bit as Ash’s eGFR was 15 in November, and he was managing well. They said they would try and wait until it dropped a bit more as unfortunately the IGA will reoccur in the kidney I donate so they wanted to get the most out of each kidney really.

In January 2023 he became so unwell he was rushed into hospital, his eGFR had rapidly decreased to 5. Obviously, all his levels weren't good now, and they said they would advise he started dialysis as soon as possible. This was such a blow to us as I had done all the tests early to avoid this, as his is usually a young active man, plus we have 3 children and wanted to avoid dialysis.

However, it wasn't a choice now and he had to have dialysis. He opted for peritoneal dialysis so it could be done at home. It all happened very quickly from that point, but he was promised it would only be for 3 months to get his levels good enough for him to go through with surgery.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as due to your kidneys having an impact on your body, and being so important to all the other organs, his body took quite a battering. He began having seizures, got pneumonia several times, sepsis, and peritonitis too, plus Ash had a bleed on the brain due to high blood pressure and needed numerous blood transfusions...again another effect from kidney failure.

This obviously delayed things massively and all the tests I had to be his donor had expired!!!

I re-did them all and got the green light again. By this point he had changed to hemodialysis 3 times a week for 4 hours a time. He was so poorly, it was horrible to see and so sad for our children.

We now needed the transplant done ASAP as I felt it would be too late if they kept leaving it.

Therefore, I pushed and pushed for it, sending emails everyday etc to try and get a date for surgery. We finally got given the date which was the 12.3.25.

Fast forward to that date and it all went ahead and everything went great.

I was home by day 3, and Ash by day 6. All his levels are now amazing and it's great to see him looking so well and being able to have quality time with our children ❤️

Ash is obviously still closely monitored at the minute at the hospital, but things are just going amazing. I am so happy!

I feel great, the pain has gone, the scars have virtually healed, and I feel just the same as I did before donation.

Honestly, I would just say if you were in the position to donate just do it you have nothing to lose, but someone else has some much to gain.”

Please about your decisions with your loved ones, say and register your decision at NHS Organ Donation

23/09/2025

It was January 2023 when I began my journey to be a live kidney donor to my brother Mark. He had been informed that his kidney function was so low that he needed to start dialysis. He had end stage kidney failure from diabetes.
I took Mark to all his appointments and dialysis appointments at Salford Royal Renal Department. He was informed that he needed a kidney donor. The renal team supplied him with his own dialysis machine to use daily at home as he became more ill.
Mark would never have asked any member of the family to step forward to be tested. We asked what the next step for him was to find a match. His wife, myself, my sister and my husband all took the initial blood test which include blood group, tissue type and renal profile. All from one single blood test. So simple, it takes five minutes.
I was a good match, the same as my sister who was unable to donate due to her own medical issues.
The process began with quite a few renal and cardiology tests, nothing painful or scary. I met with the Consultant Nephrologist who reviewed all the investigation results. He talked about the surgical risks and complications as with any surgical procedure.
The operation was to take place at Manchester Royal Infirmary where the Laparoscopic Hand Assisted Technique is commonly performed.
I was amazed that I was fit enough to be a live donor at my age. Age isn’t a problem, being fit enough is the aim.
Both Mark and I had an Independent Assessment from the Human Tissue Authority to determine if it was the right thing for me to do. They have a legal responsibility to make sure that the donor understands the risks involved. It was very much for my protection. We were interviewed together to begin with, then separately.
I could stop the process at any time if I was unsure. It was a very pleasant chat about my understanding of the operation and its outcome. We talked about my life and my brother’s life and what I expected after the operation as far as recovery. All questions were covered, and we both had our fingers crossed for a positive outcome from this meeting. We were later informed that we would be recommended for the Transplant.
Sadly, Mark became ill and was admitted to hospital and so the transplant took a back seat until he was well enough to undergo the operation.
I was 70 years old three days before the Transplant which took place at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Mark was 65 years old. We were admitted to ward 45 on bonfire night 2024. That night Mark came to my bedside and said you know you don’t have to do this. I said I know, but I am. We stood at the window of my ward and watched the fireworks in the skyline of Manchester.
The next morning, I had chance to see Mark before I left for surgery. I told him to behave on that operating table, as any big sister would. The Anaesthetist was by his bedside and laughed at me. It was an exciting day, a day to change my brother’s life. We hugged and said see you later. Later in the day the Surgeon came to see me and said Mark’s new kidney was doing well and producing urine.
All went well for both of us and I felt well enough to walk to Mark’s bedside to see him the next day. We were so happy to see each other so well.
It was a short stay of six days for me and a few more for Mark having undergone a bigger operation. I was visited on the ward by the Live Donor Specialist Nurse team with advice for my recovery.
I was referred back to Salford Royal Hospital Renal Live Donor team who will look after me for the rest of my life. Claire has answered many of my silly questions, just little things that put my mind at rest. She is only a phone call away if I ever needed her for advice.
I am back out walking and looking after our youngest grandson who is three years old, collecting him from nursery. My life isn’t any different, I don’t take any medication. I am just mindful of keeping my kidney hydrated, which is something we should all do. My brother is doing well and back driving and will become an official pensioner in a few days! I sometimes feel tired, but I have to remind myself I will be 71 years old very soon, not 21 years old.
It will be our first Transplant Anniversary on 6th November 2025. Our Kid(ney) is doing well. I can honestly say it’s an honour to be a Living Donor and see my brother so well.

Lynn Fielding aged …..almost 71 years old.

23/09/2025

Organ Donation Week : EG's Story (consent granted)
The first time I heard that it was even possible to donate a kidney came from a link at the bottom of my local blood donation web page that I was randomly sent to by an email notification I didn’t even know I had signed up for. It was a fundraising event aimed at raising money for kidney disease research, and it came with many stories. Some about people on dialysis, some about people suffering from kidney failure and only a few about people who have received a kidney from a family member. I went down a rabbit hole and read all of them, and a quick Google search sent me to similar stories from around the country and the world.
There was one story, however, were someone had donated to someone they didn’t even know. This person was on dialysis for years and no one from his family was able to donate, leaving him waiting for a deceased donor on the waiting list for years, if he was one of the lucky ones. That was until someone he didn’t know made a choice to donate their kidney, and luckily became the best match for him. I never knew this was a possibility, to donate to a stranger, and for a long time I couldn’t get this story out of my head.
Years later the thought came to me again after hearing another similar story. I decided I was in a place where I might be able to do something like this, so I contacted my local donor centre and things happened quickly from then.
The journey towards surgery was long but necessary as I was evaluated extensively to make sure I was extremely healthy with no underlying or possible hereditary conditions. The processes may have been invasive, with scans after scans and blood tests after blood tests, meetings with specialists and so much more, but it was actually such a relief to be told that you’re completely healthy.
Throughout the process I was made aware or the possible risks of the procedure and how I may feel afterwards. It can be quite scary but knowing that most surgery can carry these risks, and that they are very rare was reassuring. I was made aware of my rights every time I saw my team and knowing I could press pause if things got too stressful, or even stop the process completely, made me feel extremely safe, and that even though all this was for someone else, I was still their patient.
Knowing that I was completely healthy and someone else wasn’t, and all they needed was this one thing, and I was able to give that one thing, is what kept me pushing through the long process of tests and assessments. Knowing that this could be the only barrier between someone seeing the outside of a hospital again made the decision the easiest I’ve ever made.
I told very few people what I intended to do. Some may have thought I was a bit mad at first and I expected as much, but that was hard for me initially, as even though it was major surgery it still seemed such a simple concept in my head, and I didn’t understand how they didn’t just know that this was a really good thing immediately. However, as time went on and the shock wore off they started to become much more positive about the idea. I was able to explain risks and reasons and show them the things I was shown. Knowing that this was a common procedure and it was something people have done many times for many decades seemed to calmed their nerves. Also, knowing I was one of the healthiest of the population and I would be monitored yearly for the rest of my life definitely eased their doubts.
My only issue being that I was an active and avid runner, and it may seem trivial but going from running six days a week to complete rest for at least three months was a hard truth. However, reminding myself of why I was doing this, giving someone their life for 12 weeks of mine, it definitely became a non issue very quickly.
Getting the call that I was a match was a feeling can’t really describe. It was relief and nervousness in way i haven’t felt before. Relief, as this meant I was finally able think of this as a real thing a not just and idea. Also nervous, as I put lots of pressure on myself to stay fit and healthy until surgery as someone I didn’t know was depending on that.
As the surgery date was set, I was very calm but anxious, mostly because I’m not a huge fan of hospitals, but who is. I knew it was the right thing to do. I knew I would never know the person who would receive my kidney so my emotional response was limited to a nameless, faceless story, and even though this was still extremely impactful, it meant I was able to focus more on how I was feeling about the surgery.
I was made to feel incredibly safe by everyone on the ward and on the surgical team. I wasn’t used to things being all about me but I was fussed over so much. Everyone wanted to make sure I was completely comfortable.
I went to theatre in the morning and woke up in the afternoon. I was sore and tired but once I was told everything went perfectly I started to relax. After I was taken back to my room I stayed there for another few days. Everything was checked once more before I was allowed to leave and I was deemed fit and health once again.
I knew recovery would be difficult for a couple weeks so I had already mentally prepared for that. The effects of medication and the anaesthesia can take a little while to wear off but it was completely manageable. I didn’t have much pain at all other than a bit of bloating. I was discharged with medication if I needed them but luckily I never did. Moving around the house was slow and frustrating and I did need help with a few simple task, but this only last for a short period of the recovery, and in comparison to what the recipient has probably been through it definitely puts things into perspective. However, I knew if I were to have any concerns about anything that was a bit too painful or if something just didn’t feel right, I had a full team of people just a phone call away.
I was checked up on multiple times during my recovery, making sure everything was progressing as normal, and everything was. I was discharged by the surgical team on my second month and passed to my donor team for all future check ups.
I am now back to my regular routine and work as normal. My body has responded really well as if nothing has even happened at all, and it’s hard to believe one of my organs alive and well in someone else somewhere.
I would definitely encourage more people to become aware of kidney donation. If not to consider doing it, but to just talk about it. Raising awareness around kidney donation I hope would make it seems like something people just do, like donating blood or running a marathon, and not some huge life event that needs to be feared. And now as someone who has been through it I definitely don’t feel like I’ve lost anything at all.
EG Non-directed altruistic donor 01/06/2024

23/09/2025

Posted with consent for .

Our kidney story began in November 2017 our daughter Maisie who was 9 at the time had not been feeling herself very tired and not eating for a couple of weeks. Following a blood test, we got the shock news that she had end stage kidney failure and was very poorly due to a rare auto immune disease called ANCA vasculitis She had to have lines put in immediately and she started dialysis straight away. The following months were extremely tough not just for Maisie but for the whole family especially her sisters Gabriella who was 12 and Francesca 4 years old. We spent that Christmas in and out of hospital while she was on dialysis hoping for a miracle that she might get some function back, but it wasn't to be we were told in March 2018 that she was going to need a transplant so was told about the option of a living donor without hesitation myself and her dad went to be tested. We got the amazing news that we we're both a match but, in the end, decided her dad would be the donor as he had less mismatches and we wanted her to have the best chance. She had a few complications in the coming months and had to have both kidneys removed in February 2019 following that she was very poorly with pneumonia which delayed the transplant but finally on the 09th May 2019 the transplant finally happened it was a very long and stressful day waiting for both Maisie and her dad to come back from surgery but right from that first day we could see a difference in her she'd had to have a feeding tube in The run up to surgery to get her as strong as possible but the first morning it was removed and she just thrived from that day it was amazing to see her doing so well and not having to have dialysis meant she could get on and live a life of a normal 11 year old girl it was life changing.

Life was good Maisie was doing amazing then in August 2024 again totally out of the blue with no warning we got the devastating news that her older sister Gabriella also had end stage kidney failure a biopsy was done but the cause is still unknown as you can imagine it was heartbreaking for us all to not only go through this once but the thought of dialysis again with our other daughter was devastating. She was at 9% function so would soon be needing dialysis. Knowing how amazing Maisie had done after her living donor we immediately started testing for a match I as her mum knew I was a match for Maisie but hoped to also be a match for her sister too. Her Aunty and a family friend came forward to be tested also which was an extremely generous offer but if meant so much for me to be able to do it for my other daughter. Luckily, I was a match which was a huge relief. She spent the coming months back and forward to Salford royal constantly having her bloods checked as we were so desperate to avoid dialysis by June 2025 her function had gone down to 6 % so she needed the transplant desperately so we we’re over the moon to be given a date of the 8th of July 2025. The transplant went ahead, and everything went really well we are now 10 weeks on, and she is doing fantastic she celebrated her 20th birthday recently with nights out with friends and family something she wasn't able to do before due to feeling so unwell. We as a family feel so incredibly grateful that both parents were able to give our daughters the gift of life in such a unique way. It still feels unbelievable that we’ve had to experience this with both daughters but seeing both Gabriella and Maisie recover and regain their energy and be able to get on and enjoy their life again has been a joy and living donation made it all possible the care, kindness and support from all the living donor team throughout our journey has been amazing.