Family hopes for toddler's transplant by Christmas

Ari started life-saving dialysis at one week old and his parents Shona and Reece said they had spent most of his life in hospital

The family of a two-year-old boy waiting for a kidney transplant from his dad is hoping he can have the operation before Christmas.

Ari, from Sutton near Ely, Cambridgeshire, was born with posterior urethral valves, which caused kidney failure.

He started life-saving dialysis at one week old and his parents Shona and Reece said they had spent most of his life in hospital.

They hoped to raise awareness of the Peterborough-based charity Kidney Research UK, and open Ari's world "to more than just home, car, and dialysis on repeat".

The family travels to Nottingham four times a week for dialysis, which lasts four hours each time

Ari's diagnosis was like being "thrown into this whirlwind of information", Shona said.

"We're fighting with him and we're fighting for him.

"He is an absolute angel. He is so happy, so chilled and laid back and everyone always says how placid he is. He takes everything on the chin.

"A little trooper... an absolute hero."

Ari’s family said they looked forward watching him discover food, when he no longer has a feeding tube, or playing with new children at preschool

Reece, who has been matched as a donor, hoped a transplant scheduled for December would allow Ari to have his first Christmas outside the hospital.

"Ari’s life has been very limited so far," he said.

"He would be at nursery now if he was healthy but, instead, is falling behind younger children who are already walking and talking.

"We concentrated on all the positives that were happening and took every little win day by day. You just have to ride the waves and do it for them."

It is likely that Ari will need multiple transplants during his life.

Shona said: "We hope it will buy him enough time for research to advance and reduce the long-term impact of kidney disease on his life."

Kidney Research UK executive director Lucy Sreeves said: "Ari’s early years have been severely affected by kidney disease, but advances in research can offer a better future for him and other patients."