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Monday, June 23, 2008, 08:00
For the past five years Alison Pitt, 33, from Quedgeley, has suffered a range of kidney problems including repeated in- fections and kidney stones.
She has had to have several blood transfusions and has been rushed into intensive care.
About 18 months ago severe damage to Alison's ureter was discovered and she underwent major surgery. But the surgery did not work and the new op is possibly Alison's last hope of being able to live a normal life.
Alison's problems first started when she gave birth to her daughter Holly, five.
And her frequent visits to hospital have had a massive impact on her family – so much so that it has caused her eight-year-old son Reece to lose his hair from stress.
Now Alison is about to undergo a special procedure called an auto-transplantation.
This involves the removal of her kidney and putting it back in a different position.
It is a procedure normally used for car crash victims.
Alison said: “I will have the transplant on July 2. I am scared because it is quite a big operation but hopefully it will be the end of a long time of kidney problems.
“I will have three surgeons operating on me.
“After this I hope to be able to get on with my life again – my life has been put on hold.
“I had an operation in September to fix the problem but it didn't work and I have spent the past two years being on lots of morphine and painkillers and constantly getting infections.
“I hardly go out the house now – it has really taken over my life.”
Alison said she feels guilty about the effects her illness has had on her family. “It has had a big impact on my children's lives – my eight-year-old son Reece now suffers from alopecia (hair loss) and he has lost his hair because of the stress.
“His condition started when I was in and out of hospital all the time because he was worried about me.”
Over the last few years Alison has been treated at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital urology ward 4a. “The staff were absolutely fantastic. They were really good to me. Although I am having my transplant at Southmead Hospital in Bristol the main bulk of my care has been at GRH and I want to say thank you to the staff.”
The Citizen
But still more are needed. It is really important more people sign up as organ donors,” said Alison.
“But it is so important people sign up – transplants can make such a difference to people's lives. They can mean the difference between life and death.
“My niece Miya died a couple of years ago from kidney cancer when she was 18 – so I know the pain families go through.”
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