A father’s health has been transformed after receiving an organ transplant from a woman who took her own life.

After suffering for years with kidney disease, Steven Eames, from Woodnesborough near Sandwich, got to the point where he needed dialysis three times a week to survive.

But following a life-changing surgery he says he feels 20 years younger and has expressed gratitude to the family of the woman whose kidney was donated following her suicide.

“I don’t know much about my donor, other than it was a woman from in her 40s who took her own life,” said Mr Eames, 48.

“It was devastating that those were the circumstances needed to keep me going, and I would love to contact the family to say thank you very much.

“I like to think I take her with me now, because I have her kidney, so she is with me whatever I do.”

Mr Eames was diagnosed with kidney disease 16 years ago and saw his health decline until he was so ill he needed dialysis to artificially clean his blood.

He began at-home treatment overnight, but complications compelled him to switch to hospital-based dialysis which meant spending hours attached to a machine at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital three times a week.

The only cure was a transplant and Mr Eames’s partner and his dad both volunteered to be a living donor.

Tests revealed his dad was not suitable, but his partner was a match – but Steven decided against going ahead with it.

“I had a lot of time to think during the dialysis and I realised I didn’t want to take her kidney,” explained Mr Eames.

“What if something happened to one of the kids and they needed it? At the time we didn’t know if my disease was genetic or not, but I knew I didn’t want to risk it.

“It was the right decision but it did mean I was then left waiting for the call that a suitable kidney was available.”

As time went on, Mr Eames’ kidney function continued to rapidly decline which had an effect not only on his ability to go about his everyday life, but also his metal health.

“I like to think I take her with me now, because I have her kidney, so she is with me whatever I do...”

The dad-of-five says he lost drive to do anything and that by the time he finally was able to get the surgery he needed, he was “just surviving, rather than living”.

“It was heart-breaking - I thought I was on my way out,” he added.

In March, Mr Eames got the call he had been waiting for and was told the operation could go ahead.

Despite a week of “ups and downs” after going under the knife at Guy’s Hospital in London, on the ninth day after receiving his new organ doctors could see it was cleaning his blood effectively and his kidney functionality has now increased from just 6% to 60%.

“Now I have that kidney it’s like I’m in my early 20s. It’s such a relief; my energy levels are better and I feel fantastic,” said Mr Eames.

“I didn’t think it would make this much difference but it did and I feel so lucky.

“I had never even thought about organ donation before I was ill but now I want to tell everyone about it so they can talk to their families and other people’s lives can be saved.

“It has been a long road but I am so relieved and thankful that I was able to have this transplant and my donor’s family allowed her organs to help save people like me.”

This week marks Organ Donation Week, a campaign by the NHS and health charities to encourage the values of organ donation.

For more information on becoming an organ donor or to register your decision to be an organ donor visit https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/