A mum says her life has been transformed after receiving a kidney from dad – and then another from her brother.

Heather Bicknell, 45, who grew up in Whitstable, was born with a rare syndrome that left her with only one kidney.

She received her dad’s kidney in 1997 but when that started to fail she needed another, and her brother Paul, assistant manager at Whitstable’s Nat West bank, donated his last year.

Heather said: “I have now got my dad’s on one side and my brother’s on the other – it’s a family collection.

“I am extremely lucky that I have been able to use my family body parts and to have people in my family to donate and be a match.

“I’m so lucky and grateful to my brother and my dad – without them things would be very different.”

Back in 1991, doctors found Heather’s kidney function was down to 40% and continuing to fail.

She underwent three months of dialysis before receiving her first transplant from her late dad Peter Young in 1997.

But when that started to fail, Heather’s health deteriorated.

She said: “The main function of the kidney is to clean your blood and, with it failing, toxins were building up in my system and I was feeling extremely weak and tired.

“I became breathless and felt nauseous all the time with frequent headaches and muscle pains and cramps.

“It was a very difficult time for me physically and emotionally and I had frequent appointments at Guy’s Hospital in London, but I always tried to remain strong and positive.”

When Heather’s kidney function reached 20%, hospital consultants advised her to approach friends and family about donating their kidneys.

Her brother Paul Young, of Peartree Road, Broomfield, stepped forward.

Heather, who grew up in Whitstable but now lives in Bournemouth, said: “They tested my brother first, being a family member, and once they started testing him it was looking positive.

“It ended up being a perfect match which was fantastic.

“We had the operation last year and it took us both a while to recover from surgery, but I couldn’t wait to get up and moving as I felt so well.”

Heather previously worked in childcare and gardening, but now wants to get into funeral arranging.

She said: “Before the transplant I wanted to sleep and I was just existing – I wasn’t able to live.

“Now I rarely sit still and I’m getting on with life.

“I have applied for a job and am going through the interview process at the moment so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

“It’s a strange career change but I think it’s not a job, it’s more of a vocation and is something I’ve always been interested in.

“Words cannot express how eternally grateful I am to my
dad and my brother for their selfless act of donating to me and to my mum for her continued support.”