QA Hospital: Portsmouth friends undergo life-changing kidney transplant

Lisa Marsh, 54 made the decision to donate one of her kidneys to her close friend, Tania Emery, 49, who had been diagnosed with stage five polycystic disease in 2022. The condition is caused by clusters of cysts developing primarily within the kidneys which causes them to enlarge and lose function over time. She had the option of a kidney transplant or dialysis when her friend of 15 years volunteered to donate her kidney.

The surgery successfully took place in Queen Alexandra Hospital in February 2024 after 15 months of health assessments and treatments. It was a decision that Lisa did not take lightly. She said: “I thought about it a lot before I stepped forward and the assessment process was very thorough as they didn’t want to solve Tania’s problem and then create another for me. I was so relieved when we received the call that it was going to happen.

 “Tania and I have supported each other through it all. We’re both quite pragmatic which helped us come to terms with everything and we constantly checked in with each other to make sure we were both okay.”

While the friends shared the same blood type it was not deemed a perfect match but good enough for it to be given the go ahead.

Tania was taken aback when her friend made the offer. She said: “I was amazed when Lisa offered to donate her kidney to me. It’s incredible. It was important to me that she felt like she could withdraw the offer of donation at any point and it helped that she did extensive research before making her decision. The benefit of the assessment process taking so long was that it gave us both time to process what was happening and not feel rushed.”

The surgery was completed in February, and nine weeks on Lisa has returned to work. Tania continues to improve and is slowly doing more each day and attending regular check-up appointments at the hospital. Both Lisa and Tania wanted to thank the staff for the amazing care they received.

Lisa said: “We have been cared for since 2022 and the care has been exemplary. The staff are under so much pressure, but every appointment was on time, quick and efficient. We want to say a huge thank you to all the staff that have cared for us. There is a real sense of teamwork and camaraderie in the department and we’re so grateful for everyone who helped us every step of the way.”

Tania added: “I stayed on the G6 post-transplant ward following the surgery and the care was consistently brilliant. Everyone was attentive and compassionate and encouraging.”

Lucy Chester, Living Donor Transplant Coordinator at Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust, was one of the many hospital staff who cared for Lisa and Tania and commented on how life-changing organ donation can be for patients.

Lucy said: “My job is a privilege and allows me to meet amazing people like Lisa and Tania. Whilst taking Lisa through the assessment process to determine her suitability to donate a kidney, I got to know her and felt her joy at being able to tell Tania that she could donate a kidney. It was amazing to then see the transformation in Tania’s health after her transplant. Lisa gave the ultimate gift of life to her friend.”