'My dad's given me my life back'

AS A TEENAGER, Vivienne Baker just couldn't put on weight.

Unusually for an 18-year-old, she became so worried about being thin that eventually she went to the doctor to ask his advice. But the diagnosis he gave Vivienne was completely different to the one she expected.

Tests revealed that Vivienne's kidneys were failing and that, as time went by, she would need to undergo dialysis and eventually a transplant operation.

Vivienne, now 27, was absolutely devastated by the news.

"It was a complete shock," she says.

"I just didn't believe it at the time - I thought the doctors were wrong. It wasn't until a few years ago when I started to get more ill that I started to believe it."

As the years rolled on, Vivienne, who lives in Baildon, started to feel more and more tired as her kidneys gradually lost their ability to take all the toxins out of her blood to purify it.

And as the situation got worse, in 1997 Vivienne was eventually admitted for treatment at St James's Hospital in Leeds, which required her to attend thrice-weekly dialysis sessions.

Working part time at Multishades in Baildon, Vivienne's family painfully watched on as she tried to juggle looking after her young son, nine-year-old Gavin, and the dialysis sessions, which lasted up to four hours at a time.

It was at this point that she was put on a transplant list.

The response from her family was immediate. Almost straightaway, sister Susan, 32, dad John, 55, and mum Joan, 54, had come forward to offer Vivienne one of their own organs to spare her the pain of the dialysis machine.

All three underwent blood tests to see if they were the same group, and after they all proved compatible, Vivienne's dad, John, decided to put himself forward for the operation.

Says Vivienne: "When I first found out about my kidney failure in 1990, my sister Susan said she would offer to donate one of her kidneys if I ever had to go through dialysis.

"So when I actually started dialysis treatment and went on a transplant list, I told my parents that Susan had offered her kidney. They immediately came back and said they would offer theirs too. Eventually, my dad decided he'd be the one to undergo the operation because he was the oldest and he didn't want my sister to do it because she's got three young children."

Vivienne says she was overwhelmed by the response.

"It's hard to put into words how I felt when they all came forward to offer their kidneys," she says.

"I was shocked but really pleased at the same time.

"My family had always been supportive throughout my treatment, but this was something else."

On July 28 this year, Vivienne and John underwent intensive surgery at St James's Hospital, where the transplant operation took place.

The transplant was a success, and father and daughter were soon on the road to recovery in adjoining rooms at the hospital.

Says Vivienne: "My dad's given me my life back - I don't know what I can ever do to pay him back.

"It makes me feel really emotional when I think about what's happened. I feel like dad's done something for me that I can never pay back.

"Dad still says he's glad that he did what he did.

"We were both scared beforehand, not necessarily about the operation, but about what would happen afterwards.

"Now we've been through it all, it's nothing. You ache a bit afterwards, but we've been helping and encouraging each other all the way through. Dad's made a big sacrifice for me."

Now Vivienne is recovering at her home in Baildon, making plans for her wedding to fiance Simon Parker, 30, next summer, when she also plans to make her first trip abroad.

Dad, John, meanwhile, who lives in Hornsea, is more or less back to normal and has even been able to get on with some of his business as a self-employed plumber.

While Vivienne says her family - which also includes sister Joanne, 21, and brothers Andrew and Michael - has always been tight-knit, she also says the events of the past summer have brought them closer together.

"I've always had a good relationship with my family, but they were so supportive throughout my illness - if I needed any help at all, they'd be there.

"We don't see as much of each other as we'd like to because of the distance, but we do see a lot of each other when we can.

"And in terms of my dad, we've always been close, but I do feel a lot closer to him now. It's so hard to describe how I feel about what he's done, but it's definitely the best thing that anyone can ever do for you."

Mr Baker added: "We've always stuck together as a family, but now the bond's closer than ever.

"The only thing I was worried about was that it might be a let-down to Vivienne, but everything's turned out really well - the hospital staff at St James's were brilliant. I'm so glad we did what we did and I'd do it all again if I had to."

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