Couple home after kidney swop

A Shropshire woman has been reunited with her husband days after she donated one of her kidneys to him.

Oriel and Ian Anderson were together at their home in Coalport for the first time today since they underwent the transplant operation last week.

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Already, the couple are preparing to get back on their bikes and enjoy walks with their dog as the transplant has already transformed Mr Anderson’s health.

Mrs Anderson, 42, proved a perfect match to donate one of her kidneys to her husband after he fell ill in 2006.

He faced years of dialysis until a donor was available. But to the delight of doctors tests showed Mrs Anderson was a match. Mr Anderson said: “When I was on dialysis I wasn’t very well and the following day I would always be on a downer.

“But since the transplant I feel so much different. People have noticed my complexion is a lot healthier and the whites of my eyes are white again, they were yellow before.

“Oriel is fantastic for doing what she did. We have both had lots and lots of tests and so far so good.”

Mr Anderson said within weeks they hope to be enjoying their outdoor hobbies once again.

“Within two to three weeks we will be a bit more mobile. I can already feel an improvement.

“It’s quite painful because it has been a major operation but we want to keep ourselves busy and fit.

“We’ll have a couple of weeks of recuperating then we will start doing a bit of walking and hopefully get back on the bikes,” he said. The father-of-five said the transformation had made him appreciate everything. The couple only moved to Coalport from Broseley three months ago and are now looking forward to enjoying their new home properly.

“We open our bedroom windows and look out over the trees. It’s a sight we will never tire of,” he added.

Mrs Anderson said: “I’m uncomfortable from the operation but very well in myself. We are both over the moon to see how successful everything has turned out.

“I came home on Friday but it was very, very emotional leaving Ian in hospital. It was an awful feeling. I even asked if I could stay until he came home,” she said.

Mr Anderson was diagnosed with Wegeners Granulonatosis which affects just one in two million people and attacks the blood vessels in the body.