Holly is a talkative, enthusiastic 22-year-old qualified Nursery Nurse who lives in Warrington, Cheshire. She first thought about Organ Donation when sending off for her provisional driving license when she was 17 years old, little did she know that she would be directly affected by this same subject just months later.
Holly was a perfectly healthy teenager when suddenly, just after Christmas 2004, she was taken ill and rushed into hospital. Various blood tests and injections took place and eventually a scan of her kidneys showed they had shrunk and were no longer doing the job they were supposed to. At this point, a shocked 17-year-old Holly was told she had End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF) and needed to go on dialysis immediately, which she would remain on for the foreseeable future until a suitable donor kidney was found for a transplant.
From then on, Holly required dialysis three times a week for three hours at a time and waited patiently for that phone call saying the transplant was going to take place. As well as dialysis, Holly had a strict fluid restriction of 500 ml per day, a special diet and took various tablets each day. The dialysis itself was restrictive, time-consuming and had unpleasant side-effects including low energy levels, tiring easily and almost constant nausea. Holly’s mum went through the tests to see if she could become a donor for her but she wasn't suitable.
The actual haemodialysis itself took its toll, involving two needles inserted into a fistula, a surgically enlarged vein located in Holly’s upper arm. This provided access to the bloodstream for haemodialysis. The fistula still buzzes all the time which means the blood is flowing through it freely. Haemodialysis left Holly feeling wiped out and very often light headed, however she was very aware that it was the only thing that could keep her alive until she got a transplant.
Holly’s optimism shines through in her attitude to her health and to her work, and she is delighted to have met so many amazing people as a result of her illness. Holly tried to not let dialysis get in the way of everyday life, and attended University when her health allowed her to; it was sometimes a struggle fitting the work load in with hospital visits. Whilst Holly wouldn’t describe her social life as that of a normal student, she had some great understanding friends who have been very supportive.
In October 2008 she received the call she had been waiting over three years for; a suitable kidney had been found and the transplant took place that evening.
Holly is determined to use her new-found freedom to promote the plight of others on the waiting list by encouraging more people to become organ donors. In October 2008, Holly became one of the campaigners in Channel Four’s initiative, 'Battlefront' - a project aimed at getting young people actively involved in campaigning about a cause in which they believe. Her campaign 'The Gift of Life' has received much media attention and even praise from the Prime Minister.
Holly organised a National Donor Day on 7th April 2009 to encourage as many people as possible to think about Organ Donation. Her hard work and dedication resulted in 3500 people joining the Organ Donor Register that day, 15 times the average daily signup rate.
In November, Holly graduated from her Early Childhood Studies Degree with a 2:1, and just a few weeks later won a Vinspired “Shout” award for being the 'Ultimate Campaigner'. Her prize was to donate £1000 to a charity of her choice, so of course without hesitation she chose us, which we were really grateful for!
Holly first found out about Live Life Then Give Life in 2007 and offered herself as a case study to be used on the website and in the media. We appointed Holly as one of our first
Advocates when we set up the Advocate Scheme and since then she has been busy organising events such as the
LLTGL Abseil for her and 38 other people (raising £4000), helping in the organisation of Save Jess-tival and doing radio/television interviews whenever the opportunity arises.
Holly is proud to be a Trustee for LLTGL and hopes to make a small mark on the charity and the world of Organ Donation at the same time, by making the most of her precious Gift of Life and continuing to raise awareness to help others as much as she possibly can.
Holly's life since transplant is barely recognisable; she has her health back and is enjoying the freedom from dialysis and that she can do normal everyday things that other people take for granted. She can now socialise with friends, and eat and drink what she wants. Since her transplant, Holly has been places she’d never been, experienced things she’d never experienced before and met people that she would never have otherwise met. Holly is working as a nursery nurse and says that this would not have been possible before, being on her feet all day running around after 3- and 4-year-olds.
"My friends and family have got the old Holly back; I will be eternally grateful to the donor and their family for giving me this chance at a new life. Signing the Organ Donor Register is free, it takes two minutes, and it could save someone's life. My life was changed because someone made that decision. I hope others will do the same and give hope to over 7000 people who are currently waiting for a transplant, 1000 of whom will die this year because of the shortage of Organ Donors in the UK."
Emily Thackray