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Transplant patient back
in the saddle for coast to coast bike ride
A newly-wed is preparing to take on
a coast to coast bike ride, two years after having an operation to save his
life. 26 year old Neil Hind, a restaurant manager who lives in Winsford,
underwent the life-saving kidney transplant 3 years after he was diagnosed
with Alport Syndrome; a rare condition affecting the kidneys.
His replacement kidney was donated by his father Dave Hind, who bravely
agreed to the procedure instead of his other son Daniel, who was originally
the best match for the kidney transplant.
Neil now wants to show his appreciation of the care he and his father
received at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital by cycling from
Whitehaven to Sunderland in October to support the Royal's R Charity and
raise money for the new hospital.
A keen cyclist, Neil is determined to complete his journey this year after
pulling out of a bike ride from Italy to Liverpool due to illness.
He is now ready to get back in the saddle to ride the width of the country
in just under 2 days. "Before I had my transplant I couldn't
walk up two flights of stairs without feeling exhausted. In my 1st challenge
I managed to make it to Belgium, but it was a bit too much too soon. We
still managed to raise £1,500, but I'm determined to make it all the way
this time. I've set myself a target of 2 days."
Neil won't be short of a few words of encouragement this time as his new
wife Nicola will be helping him out along the way to Sunderland in a support
car.
He added:- "Nicola will be on the road helping me out at stops along
the way. I need to drink a lot more water on top of what a normal person
would usually drink, so I won't need to carry them by myself, which is a big
plus."
Neil and Nicola tied the knot on Friday 7 August 2015.
Neil said:- "Without the treatment and care I received there's a
chance I wouldn't be here today and even if I was I'd be on regular
dialysis. It's not the largest of distances, but it's just my way of saying
thanks to the staff at the Royal who've looked after me so well."
The Royal is the regional referral centre for renal transplants; the
transfer of a healthy kidney to the person with little or no kidney
function.
In 2014 The Royal performed 102 kidney transplants, 41 of which were form
living donors.
There are still 185 people waiting for a new kidney across Merseyside, with
many undergoing dialysis 3 times a week for 4 hours at a time.
Dr Peter Hampshire is clinical lead for organ donation at the Royal
Liverpool University Hospital.
Speaking during National Transplant Week, he said:- "Neil's story is
incredibly inspiring and shows the impact a transplant can have on someone's
life. Unfortunately 3 people die every day while waiting for a
transplant in the UK. You could help save someone else's life after your
death. You may not realise it but one organ donor can potentially save up to
8 lives."
The Trust recently launched its £10million R Charity Appeal to raise funds
for ground breaking services in the new Royal.
To support Neil's coast-to-coast challenge, you can donate
online.
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