- When Eva Dowling was three months old she was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening kidney and liver disease
- Seven-year-old couldn’t eat, drink and spent days in hospital having dialysis
- Grandmother Eileen Smith-Jones discovered she was a perfect match
- 60-year-old donated one of her kidneys to her granddaughter last September
- Thought to be the biggest age gap between donor and recipient in the UK
- Mrs Smith-Jones said: ‘I can survive quite nicely with one kidney and the difference in Eva is incredible’
- Eva can now enjoy chocolate, drink and swim for the first time in her life
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A girl of seven has been saved by a kidney transplant from her 60-year-old grandmother – the biggest ever age gap for a donation in the UK.
Eva Dowling was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening illness at three months old.
Her condition, atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome, causes clots to block blood vessels and can lead to kidney failure. Unable to eat or drink and needing frequent blood transfusions, Eva had to be fed through a tube in her stomach and spent three days a week in hospital.
Eva Dowling, seven, has undergone a life-saving kidney transplant, thanks to her grandmother Eileen Smith-Jones, 60, in what experts believe is the biggest age gap between donor and recipient in the country
Doctors feared she would never be able
to have a kidney transplant because of the blood transfusions, which
drastically increased the chance her body would reject a donated organ.
But when her grandmother Eileen Smith-Jones was found to be a perfect
match, Eva’s life was transformed.
‘I
can survive quite nicely with one kidney and the difference in Eva is
incredible,’ Mrs Smith-Jones said. ‘She is livelier, happier and able
to do things she has never done before. We are so happy.’
Now
Eva, who calls her new kidney ‘Miss Kitty’, can enjoy her food and says
she loves chocolate and porridge. She needs a check up just once a
fortnight, meaning she can attend school full-time for the first time.
Eva can eat, drink, swim and go to school full-time for the first time in her life after the life-saving operation at Bristol Children’s Hospital, pictured. She was diagnosed with the rare and life-threatening kidney disease atypical HUS when she was just three months old
Mrs
Smith-Jones has also recovered well after the operation. ‘Unfortunately
giving a kidney didn’t make me any lighter,’ she said. ‘But my cravings
for chocolate and red wine have gone.’
Eva’s mother Nicola Dowling, 34, said: ‘How can you ever thank someone for what she did?
‘It has made the world of difference to Eva and the whole family. She can now live a normal life.’
A
spokesman for the Human Tissue Authority said an age gap of this size
between donor and recipient was very rare. There are only a few cases of
grandparents donating to their grandchildren each year
WHAT IS ATYPICAL HUS?
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome is a very rare, life-threatening, progressive disease.
The disease, which affects both children and adults, causes the formation of blood clots in small blood vessels throughout the body.
The clots pose a danger, potentially causing stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and death.
Between
33 and 40 per cent of patients diagnosed with the condition will
develop end-stage renal disease, leading to permanent renal damage.
Those suffering atypical HUS will suffer recurring bouts of the disease throughout their lives.
The syndrome is not well understood, but it thought to be linked to an irregularity in several genes.
However in some cases the disease can appear out of nowhere.
In the U.S. the number of cases of Atypical HUS is thought to be around 300 a year.
In
most cases a patient with atypical HUS will suffer fatigue, become
irritable and lethargic to a point where they need to be admitted to
hospital.
There are three
main causes of atypical HUS, pregnancy induced cases of the disease are
the most common external source, while some cancers, HIV and other rare
pneumonia diseases are also known triggers.
A second major cause is familial or genetic cases.
There is o standard treatment, because each case differs.
Children with the disease often develop various complications, so treatment is tailored.
Source: The Foundation for Children with Atypical HUS
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Mrs Angreee,
Manchester, United Kingdom,
16 hours ago
Well done Eileen. This article is particularly relevant to me because I’m going through the same process of donating a kidney to my daughter and I’m about the same age. It’s good to know that you are both doing so well.
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