Professor Michael Nicholson has been awarded an OBE in the King’s New Year Honours in recognition of services to kidney transplantation. With funding from Kidney Research UK, he led the development of normothermic machine perfusion, an innovative technique that could mean more donor kidneys are suitable for transplantation and more people could receive life-changing surgery. Sandra Currie, Kidney Research UK chief executive said: “𝑀𝑖𝑘𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦. Congratulations to Professor Michael Nicholson, this recognition is truly well deserved. Read our full response here: bit.ly/3YQFbuG

Luke was only 15 years old when he discovered he was living with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). When it became clear that Luke was going into kidney failure, his mother, Gill, was adamant that she would donate a kidney to prevent him needing life-restricting dialysis treatment. Now, two months on from a successful kidney transplant, Luke and Gill are sharing how live organ donation has already changed their lives in the most positive way. Luke says: “Over the past few years I became increasingly tired and unable to stand for long periods because of my back pain. It was harder to keep up with social occasions, exercise, travelling, and, of course, my photography. The prospect of needing dialysis to keep me alive was frightening and I’m so grateful to my mum for saving me from that. “My kidney function has fluctuated post-transplant and is currently around 50%. There is a long way to go but I am noticing a difference in how I was feeling before the transplant. “I’ll always be grateful to Mum for putting herself in this position to help me out. She is my hero. We have a great relationship, and I think this has strengthened that even more. It’s special to always have a part of Mum with me.” Gill says: “The last thing we wanted was for Luke to end up on dialysis which would have taken over his life. When it became clear he needed a transplant, it was a no-brainer for me to donate. “It’s a daunting thought to have surgery and give up an organ. However, once I’d spoken to another live organ donor and the doctors, I was reassured that my life wouldn’t be negatively affected living with one kidney. I’m already proving that is the case. My kidney will have a far greater impact on Luke’s life than my own. “I did have some pain from the surgery and side-effects from the anaesthetic and morphine. I didn’t feel great for a few days, but it only took a couple of weeks to feel more back to normal. As time goes on, we’re both doing better.” “I’m doing really well now and just need check-up appointments to make sure everything is okay. “It is a relief to have had the transplant and be able to support Luke as his life gets back to more normality.” Is it inside you to save a life? If you’ve already chosen to donate a kidney, or you’re simply curious about the process and what it entails, visit @DonateaKidneyUK to learn more. You’ll find lots of resources, myth busting, and living donation support all in one place: bit.ly/47JmYmG