A Hereford couple are taking their ‘in sickness and in health’ marriage vows literally – as one is preparing to give a kidney to the other – an incredible co-incidence that they are a perfect match.
Polly Earnest will be giving her husband Roger Fuller a fantastic Valentine’s present this year – her kidney – to save him from a lifetime of dialysis.
Roger was diagnosed with polycystic kidneys – a hereditary disease, in December 2009, and despite being offered one of Polly’s kidney’s there and then, he always said he would not need one.
When Roger began receiving dialysis three times a week it put their lives on hold.
“I only live a short distance from the centre but I have to go for four hours three times a week,” said Roger, who added that it does limit what the family can do. He said: “We could not decide this week to go on holiday next week because there is too much for me to arrange with my dialysis. To have a new kidney and be able to get on with life will make a big difference to us as a family.”
So they are preparing to go into hospital in Birmingham for Roger to receive one of Polly’s kidneys on February 27. The operation has been cancelled twice, on the last occasion it was because Roger had a chest infection.
This time the couple are confident that the operation will go ahead.
“Polly’s operation is quite quick as its assisted keyhole surgery,” said Roger, who used to run a gallery in Ludlow. “Everybody can survive with one kidney and the kidney that remains will grow bigger to cope with the work.
“I will have to wait one and a half hours because they cool the kidney down, then I will have the transplant. The two malfunctioning kidneys I have will remain inside me and they will bolt the third one on.”