12,000-mile trip for the 1,000th transplant

WHEN Lesley Ross was in desperate need of a kidney transplant, her brother did not hesitate before flying nearly 12,000 miles from his home in New Zealand to become a donor and save his sister’s life.

Mrs Ross, who became Scotland’s 1,000th kidney transplant patient, yesterday praised her brother’s selfless action and said it had transformed her life.

“I never had to ask any of my family,” she said. “My brother did not hesitate and came forward very quickly to become a living donor. It has made a huge difference to my life and to the lives of my children and family as well. I have so much more energy now.”

Mrs Ross, 49, a paediatric consultant from Edinburgh and a mother of two, added: “Before I had the transplant, I had to sleep in the afternoon and I couldn’t do as much with them [her children] as I wanted. That has changed now.”

Her brother, Duncan Williams, 51, along with other members of the family, underwent tests to confirm if they were a positive match for blood and tissue type after Mrs Ross was diagnosed with the genetic condition polycystic kidney disease.

Mr Williams, an ideal match, flew to Scotland with his wife Ruth and 18-month-old son Matthew. They returned home eight weeks after the operation at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon yesterday visited the Scottish Liver Transplant Unit in Edinburgh where she met Mrs Ross and announced extra funding of £888,000 to allow the unit to carry out up to 120 transplants annually.