‘I changed my father’s life by donating a kidney’

A MAN who donated one of his kidneys to his ailing father, transforming his life, has urged more people to carry donor cards.

Father-of-two Nigel Pim, 41, from Co Waterford, also urged those considering organ donation to discuss their wishes with their next of kin.

“I was involved in a live donation but I wouldn’t have had to go through with it if more people carried donor cards,” Mr Pim said.

His father, Alan, who celebrated his 72nd birthday last week, suffered from a chronic kidney condition and was on dialysis.

He was placed on the donor waiting list after his kidney function deteriorated to just 16%.

However, a lack of suitable donors in his age bracket meant his only option was to consider a donation from a relative.

Nigel said while it was a huge undertaking, both psychically and mentally, he had no hesitation.

“I tried not to think too much about it until all the pre-tests were done,” he said. “Our lives were put on hold for a year before the operation. But he would have done anything for me, so...”

Nigel had to shed 20% of his bodyweight before he was deemed ready for the operation.

Both men went under the knife in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on March 1 last and the transplant has transformed Alan’s life.

Nigel said it was only when he saw his father going for his first, post-operation swim that the full impact of the transplant hit him.

“He’s doing absolutely fantastic. It has given him a new lease of life,” Nigel said.

“He was a well-known swimming instructor who taught half of Waterford to swim.

“But his kidney condition forced him out of the water for almost a year before the operation. Now he’s back up to 40 lengths.”

Their remarkable story was featured in Health of the Nation, which was screened on RTÉ 1 last night.

Waddell Media’s cameras were given access to the theatre to follow the surgeons as they performed the life-changing operation.

Mr Pim, who runs Pim’s Business Solutions with his wife, Jeni, employing nine people in Blackpool, Cork, and Waterford, said he will be happy if his story helps cut the donor waiting list time.

Health of the Nation, which sees Dr Mark Hamilton, a Clinical Fellow in the emergency department of one of Manchester’s largest hospitals, and Dr Nina Byrnes, a partner in a GP practice in Dublin, travelling the country in their mobile clinic investigating the medical problems of the nation, continues for the next five weeks.