A dad with kidney failure is now expecting a new organ after 19 strangers responded to a plea he posted on Facebook .
Rob Wilkinson, 33, shared his search for a living donor on social media a month ago, alongside a photo of himself with fiancée Ellie, 34, and his six-year-old-daughter Phoebe.
He was diagnosed with kidney failure in July last year following a blood test and since then he underwent frequent dialysis sessions lasting four and a half hours.
Mr Wilkinson, from Llandudno Junction, Wales, had to downsize his marketing consultancy business due to his life-threatening condition which left him too tired to play with his daughter.
He is confident at least one of the 19 people who have come forward from all over the UK will be a match and is hoping to have the transplant operation as soon as September.
Rob said: “I shared the post because I wanted to spread awareness about the need for living people to donate kidneys.
“I didn’t expect it to get much exposure at all – I certainly didn’t think anyone would get in touch.
“It has received almost 600 shares in less than a month and 19 people have got in touch saying they want to get tested to see if they can donate their kidney to me.
“15 of the people who’ve come forward to be tested are total strangers: they’re friends of friends on Facebook.
“Two of them are close friends and the other two are acquaintances.
“The way it blew up was just mental, I was shocked.
“I was in a bit of a dark place at the time and the fact that so many of these people were offering to help really hit me on the head and gave me a reason to keep moving forward.
"I was overwhelmed with happiness and real joy."
Rob went to the doctor after feeling tired for a number of months and because he was binging on sugar and caffeine in a bid to stay awake at work.
Initially, he thought he had diabetes, but after falling asleep in the middle of a Red Arrows show in Llandudno, he decided to seek help from doctors and received the devastating diagnosis of kidney failure.
Rob said: "I was asleep while the Red Arrows flew past above: it was clear that something wasn’t right.
"I said to my partner ‘I need to get help’ and went for blood tests four days later.
"Within hours of going for the tests, I got a call saying I had to go to A&E immediately and they told me I had kidney failure.
"My kidneys were only functioning at four per cent of their capacity and doctors described me as a ‘plane crash’ because I had to go on to dialysis straight away.
"Normally people make a gradual transition on to dialysis in order to get adjusted.
"Dialysis takes over four hours and afterwards all your energy is zapped and you can’t do anything.
"On dialysis days I struggle to keep up with my six-year-old and be the dad I want to be.
"It was upsetting because at the time all I wanted to do was build up my marketing business.
"But the health commitment was so vast that I had to get rid of my office and three members of staff – it was really tough."
Among the people who responded to the post for a kidney donor were two of Rob’s childhood friends, Brian Challoner, 33, and Daniel James, 33, both from Llandudno.
Brian later told Rob he couldn’t face standing by and doing nothing to help now that he knew about Rob’s suffering from the post.
Rob said: “Even my best mates weren’t aware of how much I was suffering before I shared the post on Facebook.
“If you’re like me you don’t want to get it across that you need help and the post helped me to open up.
“I usually don’t like talking about myself; I don’t want to be constantly saying I’ve got kidney problems so prior to the post I had held back from saying I was searching for a living donor.
“When somebody gets a diagnosis about cancer people have plenty of knowledge about the illness, but lots of people don’t know how kidney failure holds you back.
“They couldn’t see it had taken such a big chunk out of my life because they wouldn't see me on my down days and my dialysis days.
“Even one of my friends who is getting tested to see if his kidney is a match said he hadn’t seen how kidney failure had taken such a chunk out of my life.
“But I work in marketing and I thought I need to harness the power of Facebook to get the message out to find a kidney.”
Rob has also now begun searching for new office space in preparation for when he will no longer have to fit his life around dialysis and have more time to grow his business.
But he said the experience has also showed him there’s more to life than his job.
The dad-of-one added: “Despite the challenges, now I appreciate there’s other things in life but work.
“I remember there’s a picture of myself before I got diagnosed in Trafalgar Square on holiday and I’m checking my emails.
“Now I’m more regimented with my time and I try and be the best dad I can when I’m home.
“We don’t know how long we’re here for and checking emails shouldn’t take precedence over enjoying time with your family.”
