Pontypridd student's kidney appeal sparks huge response
- Published
Paige was told in February that she needs a new kidney
A student who appealed for a new kidney on social media has said she has been overwhelmed by the positive response.
Paige Pates, 23, collapsed at the gym in August. Blood tests confirmed she had the disease glomerulonephritis, external.
Paige, from Pontypridd, said: "The generosity and kindness of people, I can't seem to thank everybody enough."
The condition means as her kidneys fail she needs dialysis to keep her alive and will need a transplant in the long-term.
"They told me back in February but I think I was still battling with the idea of needing one," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Thursday.
"I was battling with the idea of being unwell so it's taken until now and now I feel silly for not asking publicly but it's still everyday when I think of somebody else be giving me their organ and giving me life.
"It's a really, really strange feeling to grasp."
Paige, who is studying for a Master's degree at the University of Gloucestershire, added that it took her a long time to come to terms with her diagnosis and need for a transplant.
Paige says if a donor is not found she will need dialysis in the meantime
She added she "reached an end point" which spurred her on to make the appeal.
"I felt so tired. I'd only gone out to run errands and I felt so tired and so ill, I felt awful, and thought 'why am I waiting?'
"Even if one person says 'I'd do it', that's one extra person I didn't have."
She said her clinic told her there had been a "huge volume" of people willing to be tested to see if they were a suitable match.
The details of those who have volunteered as donors are being handled by a specialist transplant clinic in Oxford.
Paige said her clinic had received a huge volume of people willing to be tested to see if they were a suitable match for her
"Eight of the 10 people who have messaged me have said 'I will give you my kidney'.
"They're complete strangers, they could be people who I knew from school, people from the local area where I grew up in Pontypridd, from uni in Gloucestershire, but there have been people from throughout the UK."
"What's really great is that you can live a perfectly normal life on just one kidney. It is daunting... but the person who donates would live a full, healthy, normal life.
"The most exciting thing is that both of us would walk [away] with something great. They've helped me live and I get to live."
The NHS England Blood and Transplant department said: "Ideally, most patients, if suitable, would want a transplant in preference to dialysis and the best way to plan a pre-emptive transplant is from a planned living donor, as it is more difficult to predict when a deceased donor offer may become available.
"If someone does not have a relative or friend who can donate, they may be tempted to appeal through media or social media for a suitable donor, although the chances of finding one are low,
"In general, we would consider exploring options for a transplant when a person is approaching about 20% of kidney function."
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