Organ Donation Week - Hartlepool dad thanks organ donors after five-year-old daughter's life-changing transplant

Gavin and Becky Lancaster were shocked when their daughter, Poppy, now aged five, was first diagnosed with kidney disease aged 18 months.

She received a first transplant on New Year’s Day 2021.

But complications developed and it did not prove successful.

After around 18 months of being back on the donor waiting list, however, Poppy underwent a second transplant operation this May.

And it has given her a new lease of life.

Dad Gavin, 42, told of the enormous difference to their lives it has made to all their lives during national Organ Donation Week.

“Thanks to Poppy’s organ donor, she already has a completely different and better life – and because of that, so do the rest of the family.

“I can’t say how amazing organ donation is. It is just the gift of life and, for most, liberty. So to all organ donors, thank you.”

Poppy’s kidney problems were identified by chance when her GP sent her for allergy tests. A kidney function test was also requested leading to a call from a doctor at North Tees hospital in Stockton telling Gavin and Becky to bring her in immediately.

Gavin said: “We were told she had kidney problems, and, in a moment, our whole world turned upside down. Unbeknownst to us, she’d been born with kidneys that hadn’t formed properly and were only a quarter of the size they should be.

"The doctors were amazed she’d survived.”

Poppy, who has an identical twin sister, Violet, received peritoneal dialysis at home for 10 hours a night, six nights a week until she was old enough for a transplant.

After her first transplant she enjoyed a period of 14 months off dialysis but then had to resume the treatment in May 2022.

Then on the fourth anniversary of her diagnosis, Poppy’s family learned a new match had been found.

That day, Poppy walked into the hospital herself, wearing her Kidney Research UK T-shirt and pulling her little purple suitcase.

"She had the transplant on the 4th and came home on the 16th,” said Gavin.

"The consultant said it was the fastest she’d ever sent a patient home.”

Since her operation, Poppy has recovered well and kidney function improved dramatically from just 7% to 97%.

"She’s also got 10 times more energy than she used to – she never stops,” said Gavin, who is also dad to Gabrielle, 17, and Higham, 11.

And for reasons unknown to her family, Poppy has decided to name her new kidney George.

“I’ve no idea why,” laughed Gavin. “When I asked her, she just said, ‘Because it’s his name, dad’. She’s so funny.”

Throughout Poppy’s journey, Gavin has been a passionate supporter of Kidney Research UK.

The family have their own Go Fund Me page for #teampoppy for the charity.

Emma Ronan-Peate, community relationship manager at Kidney Research UK, said: “Organ donation really is a gift that can have such a huge impact on the lives of patients and their families.

"With more research to make transplantation more accessible and last longer for all patients, more children like Poppy can have their very own George.”

For more information, go to https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/