World Kidney Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness of kidney health and the life-changing impact of organ donation.
Here at Close Brothers this day is especially meaningful. Within our team, we’re proud to have two living kidney donors – Emma Blair and Stacey O’Connor – whose extraordinary acts of selflessness have transformed the lives of their loved ones.
Chronic kidney disease is often described as a silent condition. A recent report showed around one in four people (27%) are unable to identify the main signs of chronic kidney disease. This is why spreading awareness has become increasingly important.
Many people don’t realise anything is wrong until symptoms such as extreme fatigue begin to appear. For Emma, Regional Sales Director at Close Brothers Commercial Finance, it was these generalised symptoms that were impacting her cousin, with whom Emma is incredibly close. Routine blood tests subsequently revealed her kidney function was declining, a situation which continued to deteriorate and left Emma’s cousin needing several rounds of dialysis every week. Despite this, Emma’s cousin was reluctant for family members to be tested in case they themselves needed a kidney one day.
After losing both her parents, 9 weeks apart in 2021, and reflecting on the support she received in the face of this loss, Emma decided in 2022 that she wanted to give something back. Without telling Victoria, she contacted the hospital and began to talk about donating her kidney. After several tests, the medical team told Emma her kidney was ‘remarkably’ a match “as good as a twin” — despite Emma and her cousins having different blood groups.
Thanks to Belfast’s world-leading kidney transplant expertise, Victoria underwent plasma exchange to remove antibodies and prepare her body for transplant. The surgery took place in 2023. Although there were anxious moments when the kidney was slow to function, medication helped, and today Victoria is thriving. In February 2024, Emma and her cousin marked their first ‘kidneyversay’ by going skiing, something that once would have felt impossible.
Stacey O’Connor, Head of Marketing, has an equally powerful story.
On 16 January eight years ago, she and her mum woke up at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham ahead of a life-changing surgery. Stacey donated her kidney through a paired kidney exchange. Although she wasn’t a direct match for her mum, they entered a paired exchange pool. Stacey’s kidney ended up going to a man in his 30s, and his father’s kidney was a perfect match for her mum. Though anonymous, both families remain forever connected in gratitude.
Stacey said “It means we all get more quality time together, and I gained a lifelong reminder of what’s possible when love, faith, science, generosity, and community come together.”
Because of incredible systems such as this, multiple lives were changed at once. Stacey’s Mum received the gift of health, as did the paired exchange family and Victoria could live a full life again, enabling her to keep pursuing the hobbies that she loves.
Living organ donation isn’t just a medical procedure, it’s an act of hope.
The simple act of registering as an organ donor can transform lives. Find out more at the Irish Kidney Association and through the NHS site, UK Organ Donor Card.
