Young Ryan Siddall will be a familiar face to Telegraph & Argus readers. This brave 12-year-old was born with kidney damage, received a kidney from his own father in a life-saving operation, and seven years ago underwent a transplant for a new kidney.

His tribulations would knock any adult for six, let alone a 12-year-old boy. But Ryan is a special young man, and we can all draw inspiration from his courage and tenacity. He earned a moment in the limelight, quite rightly, when he led Bradford City out at Wembley in the Capital One Cup Final.

Not content to merely bounce back from his illness, Ryan has scooped a great achievement – winning medals for swimming and badminton at the British Transplant Games held in Sheffield.

Modest Ryan said he felt “all right” after his amazing success – and his mum revealed he had never even played badminton before he picked up a racquet and won a bronze medal in the Games!

He is a prime example of how people can rebuild their lives after illness. And perhaps he is living proof of how those who undergo transplant operations can lead fulfilling and exciting lives.

There are, of course, many people on the waiting lists for lifesaving donor transplant operations, and sadly not all of them will get the treatment they need. Organ donations are badly needed, but of course this is something that must be given much thought and is rarely done lightly.

If though you are perhaps the sort of person who has considered organ donation, there is possibly no better example of the good it can do than young Ryan Siddall.