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Aberdeenshire mother urges organ donors to sign up after mum and husband lives are saved

The Leon family - Ingrid and Stuart with eldest daughter Sophia, 5, and youngest, Helena, aged 2.
The Leon family - Ingrid and Stuart with eldest daughter Sophia, 5, and youngest, Helena, aged 2.

It can be devastating to watch a member of your family go through the ordeal of waiting for a transplant.

One north-east woman has suffered double the heartache after helping both her mother and husband through the long and stressful process.

Ingrid Leon’s mother underwent two liver transplants throughout her life, after being diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis – a chronic disease which damages the bile ducts in the liver.

Although the first transplant was successful, the disease put a huge strain on Helen’s body and she passed away in 2011.

Just two years later, when Mrs Leon was pregnant with her second child, she was hit with the news that her husband, Stuart, was suffering from chronic kidney disease and would need to sign up too.

Seven months later, Mr Leon received the call to say a suitable match was waiting – and he has made a “fantastic” recovery since.

Today, Mrs Leon, who lives at Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire, is urging people across the country to sign up to the register after experiencing for herself the impact “generous” donors can have on so many lives.

Her plea comes during National Transplant Week, which runs until Monday.

The mother-of-two revealed that thanks to her mother’s transplants, she was there to watch as she got married, and was also alive to meet her first grandchild.

“My mum was given a second chance at life thanks to her transplant and she absolutely grabbed it with both hands,” she said.

“She was so glad to have been given this gift of life that she wanted to live every day as if it was her last.

“I will always remember the look on her face when I told her I was pregnant with my first child. She was absolutely delighted.

“If it hadn’t been for the generosity of her donors, she would never have been there for these significant milestones.”

Mrs Leon said that her husband was “just surviving” before he was given his long-awaited transplant.

The couple are now expecting their third child.

She said: “We had two young kids and Stuart was trying to keep on top of his dialysis as well as holding down a demanding job.

“He couldn’t help out as much as he wanted to with the baby because he was so exhausted all the time.

“Stuart’s now 18 months post-transplant and he’s doing really well.

“It’s all thanks to the generosity of his donor that he was given this opportunity to make a full recovery and live a healthy life again.

“A lot of people agree with organ donation but don’t get round to joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

“It doesn’t take long at all and could one day have such an incredible impact on someone like my mum or my husband.

“Organ donation has changed my life more than I could possibly have ever imagined.”

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register, visit www.organdonationscotland.org