Sheffield girlfriend gives partner 'gift of life' kidney donation

Vicky Compton offered to donate one of her kidneys to boyfriend Eddie Huntley after finding out they were a match

A man whose girlfriend donated one of her kidneys to him says she has given him the "gift of life".

For the past year Eddie Huntley had been undergoing dialysis three times a week and was in need of a transplant.

But after tests showed his girlfriend Vicky Compton was a match, she offered to step in.

The couple, who met in Scarborough about seven years ago before moving to Sheffield, say they are both doing well and looking forward to the future.

Before the transplant, Mr Huntley was having dialysis three times a week

Mr Huntley, a musician, developed a rare disease in childhood called Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP), which affects blood vessels and can sometimes lead to kidney problems.

Ms Compton said her boyfriend's kidneys rapidly declined in July 2019 and a year later he was on dialysis and the transplant waiting list.

"Knowing Ed needed a kidney transplant I went to get tested [and] I was a match," she said.

"It was just a case of well it's a match so we'll move forward with it," she said.

Mr Huntley - pictured after the transplant - said he had been given the "gift of life"

Talking about the difference it would make, she said with her boyfriend's three times a week dialysis, making plans had been hard.

"Holidays are back open to us, visiting friends and family - these things are achievable now," she added.

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Mr Huntley said: "It's not something you can really turn down when you are in that situation... It's very hard to know what to say - it's the gift of life.

"All I can say is thank you and maybe one day I will get to pay that debt back," he added.