A young East Lothian man nearly died after suspected Covid turned out to be shock kidney failure.
Luke Horne, was 22-years old when he was rushed to hospital on December 21, 2020 after his blood pressure spiked at 200 and his face and body were so swollen his mum didn't recognise him.
After being rushed to the Western General Hospital days before the country was thrown into a second national lockdown, the family from East Linton were told he was hours away from a fatal heart attack had he not contacted the GP when he did.
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Following extensive blood tests hero medics discovered the young East Lothian man was acute kidney failure possibly and was put on life saving dialysis while waiting for a transplant.
The family began to research the condition and his worried parents were tested to see if they were a match for their son.
Luckily mum Elaine Horne was and donated her own kidney to Luke in September last year after the 22-year-old spent eight gruelling months on dialysis.
To celebrate a year since the mum-of-two gave her son the life saving organ, Elaine is taking part in Edinburgh's Kiltwalk to raise vital funds for Kidney Research UK.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live she said: "It happened in December 2020, on the 21st Luke hadn't been feeling well and took a Covid test which came back negative.
"He then contacted his GP who was able to see him in a car park due to Covid restrictions he was then admitted him to the Western General Hospital.
"His blood pressure level was over 200, Luke lived alone at the time - it was so lucky he went to his GP.
"His whole face, arms and hands were completely swelled up it didn't even look like him.
"The GP arranged to see him in the car park and instantly knew something was wrong, they did the relevant tests and he was admitted to the ICU in the Western.
"This was the first time we knew he was seriously unwell, he had acute kidney failure which at the time we knew nothing about.
"One doctor in the hospital was surprised he was sitting upright his blood pressure levels were so high.
"If he didn't call the GP that night he would have had a heart attack and died."
The mum-of-two continued: "It was days before the second lockdown in December 2020 when Luke was rushed to the Western General.
"The medics knew he needed to be transferred to a specialist centre in the Royal Infirmary but it was too much of a risk to try and move him even in an ambulance.
Luke started life saving dialysis on January 1, 2021 and continued to have the gruelling treatment three evenings a week until September 2021.
His mum explained: "He had to keep going into hospital three evenings a week to get dialysis to keep him alive.
"He still has a fistula in his arm, in case he ever needs it again. It's a really gruelling process and extremely draining but he was back at work as soon as he could be."
“The fact that Luke had never really been unwell told us immediately that something was wrong.
"The hardest part of Luke’s ordeal was not being able to be with him as he was rushed to hospital and knowing that he was in such a vulnerable position."
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Elaine felt helpless and struggled with not being by the side of her youngest sons side while he was fighting for his life in hospital but was delighted to discover she was a donor match for him.
She explained: "As soon as we knew Luke was in need of a transplant, both my husband and I instantly contacted the living donor team in Edinburgh and the moment I was confirmed as a match for Luke, I was so happy, relieved and grateful that Luke was going to be able to live life off dialysis and that all the tests were carried out so quickly.
“Eight months on from our operation both Luke and I have fully recovered and are doing really well.
"But without a cure for kidney disease, there is a lot more work that needs to be done."
To celebrate a year since the major operation Elaine is taking on a charity challenge to give something back to a charity which helped throughout.
The 48-year-old added: "I am walking this year’s Edinburgh KiltWalk to celebrate our ‘kidneyversary’ and raise much needed funds for Kidney Research UK.
'The money raised will go towards helping to find ways to improve the longevity of a transplanted kidney, as well investigating the various types of kidney disease and how to improve the quality of life for a kidney patient.”
You can find out more here.
