Teenager's father saves her life after donating his kidney in pioneering transplant... despite the fact they AREN'T a match

  • Charlotte Archer-Gay, 15, had her kidneys removed in 2013 due to renal failure and was hooked up to dialysis for 10 hours a day
  • She desperately needed a transplant but couldn't find a match
  • Doctors said they could clean her blood of antibodies so she could receive her father Phil Gay's kidney - even though they are not a match
  • After the procedure, Charlotte is finally able to play sport, go to school and have sleepovers with her friends for the first time 

By Madlen Davies for MailOnline

Published: 10:53 EST, 9 July 2015 | Updated: 02:48 EST, 10 July 2015

When Charlotte Archer-Gay was told she desperately needed a kidney transplant, her relatives urgently began searching for a match.

Twenty-one of her family members and friends were tested but still the 15-year-old was dealt the devastating blow that no-one was suitable.

The news destroyed her family, leaving them fearing the worst.

But medics revealed they could clean Charlotte's blood of antibodies so she could receive her father Phil Gay's kidney, even though they do not have compatible blood types.

Phil Gay has donated a kidney to his daughter Charlotte Archer-Gay even though they weren't a blood match. Her blood was cleaned of antibodies so she could receive the organ

Phil Gay has donated a kidney to his daughter Charlotte Archer-Gay even though they weren't a blood match. Her blood was cleaned of antibodies so she could receive the organ

Charlotte, pictured in hospital, had her kidneys removed due to renal failure in 2013. Before her transplant she was hooked up to a dialysis machine for 10 hours at a time

Charlotte, pictured in hospital, had her kidneys removed due to renal failure in 2013. Before her transplant she was hooked up to a dialysis machine for 10 hours at a time

Charlotte is one of only 12 children in the country to undergo the unusual operation, usually reserved for adults, and referred to as plasmapheresis.

Plasmapheresis is a way of removing harmful antibodies that can attack a transplanted kidney. 

And now – for the first time in years – Charlotte, 15, is able to swim, play badminton and have sleepovers with her friends.

The teenager, who has to take 28 anti-rejection tablets a day for the rest of her life, said she feels better than she has done in years.

Her father, 48, said: 'We'd tested 21 different family members and friends to find Charlotte a match, but nobody was deemed well enough to donate.

'Then, doctors told me they could take my kidney, even though we weren't a blood type match.

'For me, there was no choice to make. At the end of the day, she's my daughter. I would die for her.'

Charlotte first fell sick four years ago, when she returned from a family holiday to Canada feeling unwell.

When her skin began to puff and bloat, she was referred to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome.

WHAT IS PLASMAPHERESIS?

Plasmapheresis is a way of removing harmful antibodies that can attack a transplanted kidney.

People develop these harmful antibodies – we usually think of an antibody as something good, but in this case, they are not - as a result of exposure to foreign tissue.

That can be through a pregnancy – women are a lot more likely to develop a sensitisation to other people’s tissue – previous transplant or a blood transfusion.

Plasmapheresis is where medics pass a patient’s blood through a machine and the machine filters out these harmful antibodies.

A number of treatments must be carried out before the transplant.

By doing that, it is possible to use a live donor kidney that that patient would have rejected immediately and get excellent outcomes.

In fact, the patients are twice as likely to live to eight years after this treatment than if they didn’t receive the treatment.

Source: John Hopkins Medicine

This is a condition where large amounts of protein leak out of the kidneys.

Despite a string of hospital visits and a cocktail of different medicines, doctors warned Charlotte was in the end stages of renal failure by 2013.

The teenager had her kidneys removed and was immediately put on ten-hour-a-day dialysis sessions.

'My wife Denise and I were trained to do dialysis at home,' said Mr Gay, of Romford in Essex. 

'The downstairs of our house was turned into a medical centre.

'She had it for ten hours every night. 

'We'd take it in turns to sleep next to her so we could hear her machine in case anything went wrong and an alarm sounded.'

Because dialysis is so physically draining, Charlotte could only attend school part-time.

She was unable to take part in her favourite sports, badminton and swimming, and could not even shower without a waterproof cover over her dialysis catheter.

After testing the string of relatives and friends in the hopes of finding a suitable donor, Mr Gay said the family 'ran out of options.'

They entered a paired donor scheme, whereby an incompatible donor and recipient enter a 'pool' and find another couple in the same situation to exchange with.

However, when the months drew on without any matches coming up, doctors suggested a revolutionary alternative.

'We met with an expert in incompatible donors called Dr Nizam Mamode. He was fantastic,' said Mr Gay.

'We were told that I could give Charlotte my kidney if she had plasmapheresis, where her plasma is cleansed of antibodies so she doesn't reject the organ.'

For four days prior to the operation, Charlotte underwent the cleansing treatment every day at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

However, her body was not responding and the amount of antibodies in her system kept restoring themselves.

On the morning the surgery had been planned, nobody was sure if the operation would go ahead until the last minute.

'She's been through so much but she's absolutely thriving now. She can go out, see her friends and is free to live a normal teenage life,' Mr Gay says of his daughter. They are pictured six weeks after the transplant 

'She's been through so much but she's absolutely thriving now. She can go out, see her friends and is free to live a normal teenage life,' Mr Gay says of his daughter. They are pictured six weeks after the transplant 

Now, four months after the transplant, Charlotte is able to swim, play badminton and go to sleepovers with her friends, for the very first time in years

Now, four months after the transplant, Charlotte is able to swim, play badminton and go to sleepovers with her friends, for the very first time in years

'Because we hadn't been able to get Charlotte's antibodies down to a safe level, I didn't think the transplant would go ahead that day,' said Mr Gay.

'Regardless, I made my way over to Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. I had tears in my eyes as I climbed into the taxi – I felt like I was walking the plank.

I feel immensely privileged to have been able to help Charlotte. It's the best thing I've ever done
Phil Gay, who donated a kidney to his daughter Charlotte 

'As I waited, I got a text from Denise that said: "Antibodies down, all systems go".

'Within an hour, I was being taken down to theatre.'

Four months on, and the pair are both recovering well.

Charlotte has named her new kidney Bobby Moore, after the legendary footballer – her father's hero.

'On the day of our transplant he was wearing a top with Bobby Moore on and he told me he was wearing it because Bobby Moore is his hero,' she said.

'Dad is my hero and so I thought the name was perfect,' she said.

'I can't put into words how grateful I am for what my dad did for me. It gives us a connection that not many people have and to say I am thankful would never be enough.'

Mr Gay, who is sharing his story to encourage others to join to organ donor register, said his daughter thanks him every day for his selfless act.

She even brought him a special plaque for Father's Day with the word 'hero' engraved on it.

'I feel immensely privileged to have been able to help Charlotte. It's the best thing I've ever done,' he said.

Charlotte, pictured in hospital, has named her new kidney Bobby Moore, after the legendary footballer – her father's hero
She says she feels better than she had in years

Charlotte, pictured in hospital, has named her new kidney Bobby Moore, after the legendary footballer – her father's hero. She says she feels better than she had in years.

'She's been through so much but she's absolutely thriving now. She can go out, see her friends and is free to live a normal teenage life.

'The transplant has completely changed me. It's put things into perspective. 

'Before, I'd stress about things like work, but now I realise that those sorts of problems aren't life-threatening.

'It has opened my eyes to what really matters. Organ donation can make such a difference to so many lives, I hope our story can encourage more people to sign up.'

Nizam Mamode, consultant transplant surgeon at Guy's and St Thomas', said: 'It's great to see that the transplant has been such a success for Charlotte and for Phil. 

'Organ transplants are truly life-changing and it's wonderful that a father can help his daughter like this.

'There are still a significant number of patients waiting for a transplant. In the UK three people die each day while in need of an organ and there are currently around 10,000 people in need of an organ transplant. 

'It remains as crucial as ever for people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.'

For more information visit http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

 

 

Comments (5)

Share what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now