Hartlepool girl's life is transformed by new kidney

A five-year-old girl who was previously hooked up to a dialysis machine for 10 hours every night is enjoying life with her new kidney nicknamed "George".

Poppy, from Hartlepool, was born with kidneys that had not formed properly.

An initial transplant was not wholly successful, meaning Poppy had to resume dialysis, but second time round she was out of hospital 12 days after surgery.

Dad - Gavin Lancaster - described the life-changing impact of organ donation, calling the transformation "amazing".

"Thanks to Poppy's organ donor, she already has a completely different, and better, life - and because of that, so does the rest of the family," Mr Lancaster said.

"I can't say how amazing organ donation is - it is just the gift of life and, for most, liberty."

Poppy, recovering in hospital following her second transplant operation this summer

The family was told Poppy, who has a twin sister, Violet, would need a transplant after she was diagnosed with kidney disease in May 2019.

He added "doctors were amazed she had survived".

"The GP had sent Poppy for allergy tests. They happened to put a kidney-function test in with her bloods. When the results came in, a panicked-sounding doctor at North Tees Hospital, in Stockton, called to say we needed to bring Poppy in immediately," he explained.

Her father was told Poppy's kidneys had not formed properly and were only a quarter of the size they should have been.

Although an initial organ donation did not work as well as hoped, the youngster still managed to spend 14 months dialysis-free before a match was found for a second transplant.

That operation was carried out in May, with Poppy able to leave the hospital 12 days later.

Since the operation, Poppy has decided to name her new kidney 'George' - a decision that has baffled her parents.

"I've no idea why," said Mr Lancaster .

"When I asked her, she just said, 'Because it's his name, Dad!' She's so funny."

Poppy wheeled her suitcase into hospital wearing her Kidney Research UK T-shirt