A 16 year old who is set to go back on the transplant waiting list has spoken of her hope for 2016 as she backed a festive campaign to encourage people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register.
Morgan MacIntyre from Fort William was born with renal hypoplasia, a condition which led to her undergoing a kidney transplant aged just five.
She now needs another transplant – which will make her one of the youngest people in Scotland to be waiting.
From birth, Morgan has endured dialysis as her kidneys didn’t develop properly due to being born seven weeks premature. Her first transplanted kidney, which came from her grandparent, rejected in 2007.
As no other family member is a match, Morgan’s only hope is a kidney from a deceased donor and the teen, who turns 17 in January 2016, is preparing to go back on dialysis after managing for over a decade without it.
Morgan is supporting the Organ Donation Scotland festive campaign which is encouraging Scots to join the NHS Organ Donor Register this December – in a bid to help the 560 people in Scotland who are currently waiting.
Morgan, who also had to deal with the loss of her sight, coped well without dialysis following the rejection of her kidney, however she is now retaining fluids, is constantly lethargic and is finding eating difficult.
The fifth year pupil at Lochaber High School is planning a career in childcare.
She said: “Things are becoming more difficult but I’m pragmatic and know what’s ahead. I can’t really remember dialysis as I was so young, but know that’s what I’m facing until a suitable donor is found. My hope is that the wait isn’t long. There’s lots I want to do in life and getting the transplant would turn everything around for me.”
Mum Caroline MacIntyre, said: “Morgan has endured a lot, but the thought of her being on the transplant list is difficult as she will face dialysis again if she has a long wait. If she goes back on dialysis she’ll need a fistula which she’s dreading. It’s not a pleasant thought, but she knows that it’s the only thing that will keep her alive.”
The family had to cope with the devastating loss of Caroline’s husband Jason in 2008, a championship cyclist who tragically died in a road accident and who himself went on to be an organ donor.