Devoted Bassetlaw wife gave husband gift of life for Valentine’s after donating a kidney to him

Brave Claire Davies stepped forward to save husband Glyn, after he was diagnosed with a rare disease which attacked his organs.

More than 8,000 people are currently waiting for a kidney transplant, but Claire beat staggering odds of 22 million-to-one be a perfect match for Glyn.

The couple, both 63, went under the knife on February 13 last year, with Glyn waking up the next day with a new kidney.

Claire, a retired bakery manager, said: “On Valentine’s Day, just a few hours after the operation, Glyn looked totally different - his eyes were brighter, he had more colour, and he looked like the person I knew before.

“He’s a man of very few words but he said to me ‘thank god you’re ok’ as that’s all he was bothered about. We both had tears of happiness."

The couple, from Harworth, were put in adjoining rooms while they recovered at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

Glyn, a civil engineer, said: “If I was a betting man, I would not have been putting a stake on Claire being a suitable donor for me from what we’d been told.

“When we found out the news that she was a match and the transplant could go ahead, I was amazed.”

Glyn first realised something was wrong in January 2023 after he suffering bouts of extreme tiredness.

He was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis, a disorder where antibodies attack red blood cells, causing fatigue and fever-like symptoms.

Glyn said: “I started off very tired and sluggish. I went to my GP and he referred me for more tests.

“What I thought was going to be a quick A&E appointment at the hospital turned into a three-month stay.

“I found out at the time that my blood pressure was 220 over 100, and before I knew it, I was being admitted for further treatment.

“I had a kidney biopsy, two blood transfusions, seven blood plasma changes, and two chemo infusions to try and re-boot my kidneys – but it didn’t work.

“One night I really thought I was going to die, and I felt like everything was closing in on me.

“I just wanted to run but I had pains in my chest and I couldn’t breathe. I was frightened.”

Glyn underwent 12 gruelling months of dialysis before going on the transplant waiting list the day after he and Claire got married.

The couple, who have been together for 19 years, have five children and seven grandchildren between them from previous marriages.

Members of the family were tested to see if they would be a suitable donor but it was Claire who was the perfect match.

Claire added: “The odds of me being a match is millions and millions to one.

“We never thought I'd be a match, but I'd do anything for him. I prayed that I would be a match and luckily I was.

“Seeing someone you care about so much go through that is horrible.

“I never even thought of not doing it, I’m frightened of dying, but I found it exciting to be able to do something to help.

“It’s not a cure for him, but it’s a treatment.

“I had no life without him, me and Glyn are always together.

“My gift to him was a kidney, the best gift he’s ever had.

“We often sit and talk and say we’d never think he’d have a piece of me inside him. I often joke ‘I love you with all my kidney’.”

Glyn’s remarkable recovery means he was able to play golf again and later this year he will compete in the Transplant Games.

He said: “One of the key-ways I have coped over the past two years is keeping my mind and body active - whether that’s through work or playing golf - and it’s continued to help me with my recovery too, and I’m really excited to experience the Games for the first time.”