A kidney transplant patient says he was lost for words after receiving an invitation to tour Ibrox from hero Rangers goalie Allan McGregor.
Lifelong Gers fan Ciaran Calderwood, 27, who suffers from Alport syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes kidney disease, received a new kidney at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow last month.
While recovering from his transplant at his Kilmarnock home, he was left gobsmacked when he received a letter in the post from the Ibrox keeper wishing him a speedy recovery.
Included in the letter was a signed picture of McGregor and an invitation to tour the team's Glasgow stadium when he has recovered.
He said: "I think my mum did it as a surprise because I love Rangers. I've followed them since I was wee.
"I used to have a season ticket and go to all the games but my health stopped that. When I opened the envelope I just couldn't believe it - speechless, to say the least.
"Rangers is a great club, and I know they do a lot for charity and that. But I didn't expect them to write to me, honestly."
Ciaran says the letter has given him a lift after months of discomfort caused by the chronic condition. He was forced to stop working as a delivery driver after he was left too exhuatsed to climb stairs.
The efforts of the renal team at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, he says, have given him "another chance at life".
He added: "My mum, sister and two family members have got Alport's and one of my uncles had to get a transplant at 16 and the other is on dialysis. I knew I was going to get to the point of needing a transplant at some stage in my life.
He said: "My mum, sister and two family members have got Alport's and one of my uncles had to get a transplant at 16 and the other is on dialysis. I knew I was going to get to the point of needing a transplant at some stage in my life.
"In terms of my kidneys, getting to 27 is quite a long time without getting one but over the last year I really started to take a turn for the worse. I was feeling exhausted, I didn't have any energy, even things like going up stairs were a challenge.
"But with a new kidney that will be wiped out. As I start to feel better with the new kidney, I can get back to normal and get back to doing things I enjoy."
The National Kidney Foundation says Alport syndrome affects between one in 5,000 and one in 10,000 people (0.01-0.02 percent) in the UK, making it one of the more common genetic kidney disorders. However, it is relatively rare in the general population.
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