When Elliott Goss was diagnosed with acute kidney failure, his wife Jennifer wanted to give him one of her own kidneys, but she was not a donor match
February 15, 2017 20:24
The story of a mother-of-two who donated one of her kidneys in order to ensure that her husband could receive a new kidney of his own featured in this week's episode of the BBC’s factual programme, Hospital.
When Elliott Goss was diagnosed with acute kidney failure, his wife Jennifer wanted to give him one of her own kidneys, but she was not a donor match.
With time running out, joining the five-year waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor was not an option.
Mrs Goss decided to take part in a new kidney-pooling initiative, where she would donate one of her kidneys to an anonymous beneficiary, while her husband would receive an organ from an anonymous donor who was a match.
“It was such an easy decision to be a live donor, having watched someone I love suffer,” Mrs Goss said.
“It was such a small thing for me to do, but it gave someone the gift of life – and ended up giving my husband the gift of life.
“First of all I had to be tested to be a match, that process took about four weeks. Then we found out I wasn’t a match for Elliott, so they then put us forward for this paired scheme, which is where I would donate to a stranger and the stranger would donate to my husband.
“We weren't selected in July at our first opportunity, we didn’t get a match, and we were told that the chances were even lower the second time around. So we were not that hopeful.”
The couple, who are members of Edgware Reform Synagogue in north west London, then “put an advert in the JC with Matnat Chaim, the Jewish kidney transplant charity.
"There was another article in that week’s JC about two members of a different synagogue, where one needed a kidney and another came forward.
“A family friend read the article, saw our advert and contacted us and said he’d like to be our donor via the charity. He came forward and he got tested and was a match.
“We were at the stage where we were told it was all fine to go ahead, and we were really excited.
“That was on the Friday, and on the Monday we got a call from the hospital to say we had actually been chosen in the paired scheme and we also had the chance to get a kidney that way.
“We had to evaluate which one was best,” said Mrs Goss.
“The reason we went with the paired scheme was that we didn’t want the chain to fall apart – there were eight people involved."
“It went in a circle, all eight of us were giving or receiving kidneys. We didn’t want to break that chain."
In Wednesday's episode the couple were both shown undergoing surgery, in footage filmed at Hammersmith hospital last year.
The couple were later seen returning to the hospital for a check-up, with Mr Goss’s body having successfully accepted his new kidney.
Mrs Goss said: “I want people to see how easy it was to be a live donor and I want to encourage people to be live donors.”
She urged people from the Jewish community to find out more about the Matnat Chaim charity and consider donating a kidney.
For more information on the Matnat Chaim Kidney Transplant charity, visit www.kilya.org.il/en/
