My story starts in 1987 when an amazing consultant for some other medical matter, noticed that my blood pressure was too high for a 35-year-old woman. After some follow-up tests, I was diagnosed with adult polycystic kidney disease and then was told that it was an inherited disease and I would at some point end up on dialysis. I had no idea where this had originated from as both my parents had sadly died when I was four, but at this point I had three children of my own so knowing that there was a 50% chance of my children having this disease left me devastated.

From then on I was under the care of the amazing renal team at St James's University hospital in Leeds, until April 2000 when I began peritoneal dialysis, which worked very well for me. Prior to this I looked after my own children, ran a house and worked as a nursery nurse in a school. I was lucky and only suffered from fatigue and the occasional pain from cysts bursting, but I had to give up work in December 1999 as I was becoming to tired and ill.

My brother, who wasn't particularly close to me at the time and lived in Wales, offered me a kidney, and after many heartfelt talks and many tests, it was agreed that he was a good match but apparently, I still needed 10 months of dialysis so that I would be fit enough to go through the operation.

February 2^nd 2001 dawned and Guy, my wonderful brother, was taken to theatre and I followed some hours after. The next morning he visited me with his drip of morphine and other attachments with his thumbs up in the air. Our bond began and thanks again to the wonderful surgeon and renal team. I not only had a working kidney but a very special brother.

There were setbacks at first but now 20 years later this is the only year my brother and his family haven't celebrated with us that amazing day he selflessly put himself under the knife for me saying 'let me do something good for you'. Hopefully the celebrations will happen soon.

These last 20 years have allowed me to be a wife and mother and to see my children get married and between them they have given me six beautiful grandchildren to cherish and watch grow up.

Most of all I am happy to see that my brother is well and happy with a family of his own.

I love my life and with the fantastic care of my renal team, I hope to enjoy many more years. I also need to need to end this by saying a great big thank you to my amazing brother, Guy, my donor, who I love so much.