Brave Megan is ready to tackle the new year - The Evesham Observer

Brave Megan is ready to tackle the new year

Evesham Editorial 9th Jan, 2016 Updated: 20th Oct, 2016   0

A LUCKY Pershore girl is looking forward to 2016 after successfully undergoing a life-saving kidney transplant.

Six-year-old Megan Stone and her family had an extra special New Year’s celebration after the operation at Birmingham Children’s Hospital last summer completely changed her life.

Megan, who attends the town’s Holy Redeemer RC Primary School, was diagnosed with acute kidney failure in 2011 – brought on by Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome – following an E Coli bacteria infection.

The brave youngster underwent her first transplant in Manchester in 2014, but just hours after the operation a rare complication caused the new organ to die.




The devastating news meant Megan went back to waiting, where she had to undergo regular haemodialysis treatment, which involves diverting blood through a machine so harmful waste and excess fluids are filtered – a process carried out by healthy kidneys.

Megan and her grandparents had to make a 70 mile round-trip from their home in Pershore to Birmingham four times a week for the crucial treatment, which lasted around four hours each session.


In late 2014 Megan’s family were told a matching organ being donated from a living family member was no longer an option, and all hope rested on a suitable match being found from the organ donation register.

However, last summer, on the anniversary of her first failed transplant operation, Megan and her family received the news a ‘perfect match’ from a living donor had been found, and the transplant operation was carried out a few days later by experts at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Megan has gone from strength to strength since and enjoyed her “best Christmas ever”, which included her first ever Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

Siobhan Stilwell, Megan’s grandmother said: “When we were told the potential option of a kidney being found from a family member was no longer available it was tough. It’s strange, but it felt like a real piece of hope had been taken away and along with that, a last bit of control.

“To get the call a perfect match from a living donor had been found just a few months after was amazing, as we’d been told it could take years.

“It’s difficult to put into words how grateful we are, but to the living person who decided to selflessly give away one of their kidneys to save another human life, whoever and wherever you are, all of us say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

“It’s just brilliant to have a healthy little six-year-old who can do all the things girls of her age want to do, and we want to say thank you to everyone at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The staff are nothing short of phenomenal and a real credit to the NHS,” she added.

Advertising

Advertise with the Evesham Observer to reach your audience

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Evesham Observer newspaper.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Evesham Observer.

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.