'My son is the only reason I get out of bed some days'

Jason is urging people to come forward and help

A dad's world came crashing down just weeks after finding out his girlfriend was pregnant.

Jason Lamb was excited when he found out his partner Claire was pregnant he was soon hit with a devastating diagnosis. The 28-year-old had started to get cramps, was regularly thirsty and always tired.

But when he started to cough up blood in December 2021, he visited Whiston Hospital. Just weeks after seeing the positive pregnancy test, Jason, from St Helens, was told his kidneys were failing and only working at 3% capacity.

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He told the ECHO: "It was a shock, my brother had been diagnosed three months before me. We had our genetics tested but it's not hereditary so it's come out of the blue, my world came crashing down."

He immediately started PD dialysis but soon the treatment failed and his health took a turn. Jason, who welcomed son Jenson in June 2022, said: "I couldn't even walk up the stairs.

"I started on hemo-dialysis and they managed to get 22kg of fluid off my body. But I'm in desperate need of a kidney."

Although on the transplant list, Jason is desperately appealing for people to come forward and get tested to see if they are a match to donate the vital organ. Jason said: "I'm on the transplant list for deceased donors but I'm only 28 and the doctors told me it was important to try and get a transplant from a living donor.

"I've been on the list for over two years now and it could be any time, long or short. But if I can get a living donor it could last longer, I'll probably need two or three transplants in my life.

"There's no pressure for anyone to go ahead and donate a kidney, they can just call up and get more information about the process. The whole journey has been a roller coaster.

"My son is the only reason I get out of bed some days, he's kept me distracted. All of his life I've been on dialysis and it is hard.

"We can't go on holiday, I can't stay away from the house for too long because I'm on dialysis at home and I need to do it three hours a day for four hours a week."

Jason appealed on social media for people to come forward and be tested and has been met with an incredible response.

Partner Claire added: "We don't want our son to grow up without a dad, it was a massive shock. When I found out I was pregnant, no-one knew. Five days before my grandad died and then we found out Jason had kidney failure, it was a huge shock.

"It's been a whirlwind. You never think it's going to happen to you, I just wish someone could come forward and help. Even if you can't save him, you may be able to save someone else."

Writing on his social media, Jason added: "As much as I am grateful for dialysis as it’s keeping me alive, it only lasts 5-10 years. My son is now 20 months old and I am doing this all for him.

"I know it’s a big ask, but he needs his dad. So if you made it to the end of this post thank you for reading and please could you share far and wide in hope that someone out there will come forward to donate a kidney for me. Absolutely no pressure at all, but if you would be interested in donating please give me a message and I will tell you how to go about getting tested."

More information about donating a kidney can be found by clicking here, or call the Royal Liverpool Hospital on 0151 706 4725.

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