Kathryn received a kidney from doting dad, Kevin (Picture: SWNS)
Kathryn received a kidney from doting dad, Kevin (Picture: SWNS)

When Kathryn Croker, 36, was told she needed a life-saving kidney transplant, her parents stepped forward for testing, hoping they’d be a match.

Luckily, both her dad, Kevin, 67, and mum, Anne, 63, were suitable donors – but it was Kevin who selflessly went ahead with the operation.

The donation was a success – and four years later, Kevin walked his now healthy daughter down the aisle.

Kathryn said: ‘We’ve always been close and had a special bond – now I have his kidney and we feel even closer.’

Kathryn, from Northamptonshire, was diagnosed with Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP) – a condition affecting the blood vessels that can lead to kidney complications – aged just 12.

She explained: ‘I had a rash appear on my legs that left me with red pin pricks. When you pressed it, it didn’t go, we thought it was insect bites.

‘We went to the doctors, and they got out a book to show my mum they thought it was HSP and they told us to go to Kettering General Hospital.’

Pictured Kathryn Brocker and father Kevin and in Leicester General 2013 a few days after Kevin donated his kidney. A man donated his kidney to his daughter after her liver function plummeted just four percent - saving her life before she recovered for him to walk her down the aisle. See SWNS story SWFTtransplant. Kathryn Brocker, 36, was diagnosed with Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP) - a condition affecting the blood vessels that can lead to kidney complications - after developing a rash in 1998 aged 12. Kathryn's condition escalated into kidney failure in 1999, but miraculously after various treatments her function increased to 40 percent and she was able to live a normal life up until 2011. In April 2012, Kathryn?s health deteriorated- she was in and out of hospital with numerous chest infections and her function dropped to a frightening 4%. In May 2013, her dad, Kevin 67, donated his left kidney to his daughter and walked her down the aisle in August 2017. Kathryn has since been on immunosuppressants and getting back to normality after shielding throughout the pandemic.
Kathryn needed a kidney after her liver function plummeted (Picture: Kathryn Brocker/ SWNS)

After going to the hospital, Kathryn was initially told she should be feeling better in six weeks.

‘At that age, six weeks felt like forever. I wasn’t able to go into school and it affected my whole body,’ she said.

‘I was bed bound for eight weeks and I couldn’t get out of bed – it was so painful to walk.

‘More time passed, and I wasn’t getting any better. I had severe stomach pains, and it caused my legs and feet to swell.’

At the end of January 1999, Kathryn underwent blood tests. The tests showed her kidneys had failed, and she was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, in an ambulance.

She said: ‘It was really scary – I had so many different treatments. I had dialysis and plasma exchange.

‘After two and a half weeks I was discharged, and I was very lucky to leave the hospital with 40% kidney function.

Pictured Kathryn Brocker in Great Ormond Street in 1999. A man donated his kidney to his daughter after her liver function plummeted just four percent - saving her life before she recovered for him to walk her down the aisle. See SWNS story SWFTtransplant. Kathryn Brocker, 36, was diagnosed with Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP) - a condition affecting the blood vessels that can lead to kidney complications - after developing a rash in 1998 aged 12. Kathryn's condition escalated into kidney failure in 1999, but miraculously after various treatments her function increased to 40 percent and she was able to live a normal life up until 2011. In April 2012, Kathryn?s health deteriorated- she was in and out of hospital with numerous chest infections and her function dropped to a frightening 4%. In May 2013, her dad, Kevin 67, donated his left kidney to his daughter and walked her down the aisle in August 2017. Kathryn has since been on immunosuppressants and getting back to normality after shielding throughout the pandemic.
Kathryn has had treatment since she was just 12-years-old (Picture: Kathryn Brocker/ SWNS)

‘Everyone was amazed – I was due to be on dialysis indefinitely and I had to go back three times a week.’

Kathryn went back to leading a normal life and after finishing school, went on to university.

But in 2011, aged 24, Kathryn’s health started to deteriorate again – she was exhausted and had to reduce her working hours as a children’s centre worker.

Kathryn said: ‘I would sleep for 13-14 hours a night and wake up and still be tired, it was hard to function.

‘During 2012, I had constant chest infections and was in hospital with kidney infections and pneumonia.’

In February 2013 her kidney function dropped to a staggering 4% and with her life was in danger, she was put on emergency dialysis, and told she needed a kidney transplant.

Her parents, Kevin and Anne, were soon tested to see if they could donate their kidneys and they were both a match.

Pictured Kathryn Brocker campaigning for Kidney Research UK. A man donated his kidney to his daughter after her liver function plummeted just four percent - saving her life before she recovered for him to walk her down the aisle. See SWNS story SWFTtransplant. Kathryn Brocker, 36, was diagnosed with Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP) - a condition affecting the blood vessels that can lead to kidney complications - after developing a rash in 1998 aged 12. Kathryn's condition escalated into kidney failure in 1999, but miraculously after various treatments her function increased to 40 percent and she was able to live a normal life up until 2011. In April 2012, Kathryn?s health deteriorated- she was in and out of hospital with numerous chest infections and her function dropped to a frightening 4%. In May 2013, her dad, Kevin 67, donated his left kidney to his daughter and walked her down the aisle in August 2017. Kathryn has since been on immunosuppressants and getting back to normality after shielding throughout the pandemic.
She now campaigns for Kidney Research UK (Picture: Kathryn Brocker/ SWNS)

Kathryn added: ‘It was amazing they were both a match, but we thought it would be down to the hospital to choose.

‘It was a tough decision to have to make.

“‘I don’t know why, but I always thought my mum would be the one to donate her kidney. But my dad really wanted to do it and he never moaned about it.

‘All the way through he told me not to worry but it was a surreal situation.’

In May 2013, Kevin gave his daughter the gift of life through his left kidney.

She said: ‘I remember being wheeled back onto the transplant ward and seeing my dad in the first bay on the right and the nurse said, “Your dad’s in there.”

‘They stopped me outside of the bay and he gave me a nice wave – it was such a lovely moment.’

Thankfully, Kathryn made a swift recovery, and just four years later, Kevin walked his daughter down the aisle in a moving ceremony to wed her partner, Luke.

It’s a day that Kathryn says ‘wouldn’t have happened’ if not for her dad’s decision to donate his kidney.

Kathryn added: ‘It was really emotional. We got to the door of the church and dad turned to look at me and said, “I think someone is going to cry”.

‘He gave a speech and there were a lot of happy tears – he spoke about me growing up and everyone there knew what we had been through.

More from Metro

‘Now I sign Father’s Day and birthday cards from “Kathryn, Luke and your left kidney”.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

MORE : One of my twin baby boys died of Kawasaki disease – I donated his heart so no mother has to go through what I have

MORE : New mum finally returns home a year after being placed into a coma while pregnant