A dad has given his son his 'life back' after donating a kidney to him.
Luke Amos was just 11 weeks old when he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, ARPKD (Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease). His parents, Tori and Carl Amos, from Ellesmere Port, rushed him to hospital after he began to scream and turn blue while playing in his rocker.
He was transferred to Alder Hey hospital where they discovered his kidneys were covered in small cysts that 'resembled frog spawn'. Tori, 37, said she was 'heartbroken' by the diagnosis but was hopeful when Luke became stable and was able to live as normal life as possible.
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The pharmacy technician told Cheshire Live : "When we first found out about his disease we were obviously heartbroken. You just assume you're going to have a healthy, happy baby and when something like this happens it really makes you think about life in a different way.
"After the initial diagnosis and lots of sorting out of blood pressure medicines he eventually lived a pretty normal life with check ups every 6-8 weeks. We have adjusted well over the years and as I've said for the first ten years we pretty much just got on as everyone else. Yes, he had to take medicines and check ups and drink a lot of water but apart from that we were happy going on holiday doing normal things."
However, by the time Luke turned 10 his kidney function had declined significantly, causing him to have bad headaches and become extremely tired. Doctors broke the news that he needed dialysis.
Tori said: "He was still eating well and drinking well though, he's continued to have an appetite throughout the whole time. By August it was obvious he was going to have to start dialysis as his bloods were getting worse and he was starting to look more tired and again lots of headaches.
"Despite all of this he never once complained he continued playing for his local football team and attended school full-time. When we were told about dialysis, we were upset as it was a scary thought but Luke wasn't scared, he was so calm about it he didn't mind.
"The first time seeing him on the machine was heart-breaking, I did shed a tear but we soon got used to it and it just became part of our life. Luke adjusted well and you could see he was feeling better from it."
Carl, a 38-year-old traffic engineer, heroically agreed to donate a kidney to his son but Luke needed surgery to remove his diseased kidneys before the transplant could go ahead. By this stage, they had grown to twice the size of healthy kidneys.
In the meantime, Luke started dialysis three times a week in September last year. This included travelling to and from hospital, which takes around six hours.
Tori and Carl, who are constantly 'on the go', would fit taking Luke to hospital around their jobs and caring for their other son, who is now five years-old.
To prepare for the transplant, Luke underwent the seven-hour operation to remove both his kidneys in February. After recovering for the past few months, Luke received a kidney from his dad on May 5.
The pair are now at home and recovering 'well' and Tori says the family are looking forward to getting their lives back. she said: "Luke can't play football or go swimming or do another of things his friends can do. It was more upsetting for us than it was for Luke, he was fine about it.
"To be honest if it wasn't for the fact the staff on the unit are absolutely amazing it would've been so much harder. They work so hard and would do anything for Luke.
"The support we got from them all was incredible and honestly made our time there so much easier. Luke is home and doing really well.
"He's up and about no pain relief and seems really happy. It's a long road to normality but we're on that road and look forward to hopefully getting our lives back and Luke being able to enjoy high school in September with his friends."
