Our best Christmas ever

Dec 19 2007 By Judith Tonner, Wishaw Press

AN Overtown family are looking forward to a happy and healthy Christmas after a successful kidney transplant from mother to son.

Brave mum Heather Richardson gave the amazing gift to 12-year-old Callum, who was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome two years ago and was hooked up to a dialysis machine for up to 10 hours a night.

The pair had their operations 10 weeks ago and are now well on the road to recovery, with revitalised Callum even hoping to find a drum kit under the tree on Christmas morning.

Heather said: “Callum has so much energy now – he has bees in his bonnet!

“He used to come in from school and lie on the couch, but now he wants to play football, go swimming and do PE, and the biggest difference is that he can eat and drink what he likes.

“I don’t think he realises how sick he was but his dad Alex and I notice a huge difference as he looks the way he used to, is gaining weight and is starting to be a normal, fit, healthy boy again.

“I feel absolutely fine but I’m exhausted, which is frustrating when you’ve got four kids, but we’ve had so many fantastic people around us – my mum, cousin, neighbours and two closest friends just came in and did all the housework and looked after the kids; I’ll never be able to repay them.

“At times like this you realise how nice people are; the gifts and flowers have been unbelievable and people have been so generous.”

The double operation, carried out at the Western Infirmary and Yorkhill Children’s Hospital, had to be postponed twice after Heather was ill on the originally scheduled date in August, then Yorkhill was forced to close its doors due to a viral outbreak.

Callum was convinced it would be “third time lucky” when they were finally admitted for their October 5 date, and Heather said: “By that time I think we were just so chilled because we wondered, ‘will it happen?’

“I wasn’t nervous and I shocked myself on the morning of the operation because I was just lying on the trolley as calm as you like and I was eager to get to the theatre.

“Everything went as it was supposed to and the kidney started working straight away for Callum, which was fantastic.

“He was in intensive care and it was three days before I was able to see him which was really hard; we were both quite emotional when we saw each other for the first time.”

Callum, who returned to classes at Clyde Valley High just four weeks after his operation, said: “I’ve already been playing football at the Boys’ Brigade, and it’s great being able to eat chips and drink Lucozade, although mum and dad won’t let me drink too much!

“I’m looking forward to being able to go swimming and going back to playing football for Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers; I used to play in goals but I like playing in defence or in midfield because you can slide tackle.”

Now Heather and Alex are looking forward to the festive season with Callum and his siblings Kyle (13), Sophie (9), and Kristian (2).

Heather said: “Christmas and new year will be absolutely fantastic because now we can just relax as we don’t have this big black cloud hanging over us.

“There will be the six of us at home and we’ll be eating ’til we can’t eat any more, watching TV and the kids will be playing.

“I can see light at the end of the tunnel now and I just think, ‘please let 2008 be our year’.”