Transplant patient thanks Shrewsbury hospital staff

A 25-year-old woman’s quality of life has been dramatically improved thanks to staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital who supported her ahead of her undergoing a kidney transplant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Antonia Howard, from Shrewsbury, faced having to have the vigorous three-and-a-half hours of kidney dialysis treatment three times a week for the rest of her life.

The staff from the hospital’s Renal Team supported Antonia and her family during this period. Her father Robert was identified as a suitable live donor meaning she was able to have a transplant on 28 April this year.

Sue Dean, Transplant Sister at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “Antonia has a learning disability which meant we needed to spend more time planning the whole process to ensure the best outcomes for her and her family, without adding any undue stress.

“Antonia started dialysis in August 2012, but it became clear that to ensure the best quality of life for her due to her learning disability, a donor needed to be found to prevent her from needing three-and-a-half hours of dialysis treatment, three times a week.

“Without the planning and dedication of all of the teams involved in Antonia’s care, the transplant may never have been possible. Due to her severe learning disability, her family did not feel that it would be appropriate for her to go on the transplant waiting list as she could be called at a moment’s notice to have the transplant, which they felt would cause far too much stress for Antonia. This meant we needed to explore other options and plan her treatment carefully.

“We assessed Antonia and worked with her and her family throughout the transplant process. Antonia was not just supported by staff within the Renal Team, but also received care and support from other areas including the Learning Disabilities Team at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, where she had the transplant.

“The transplant means that instead of having to spend up to 10-and-a-half hours a week at hospital receiving dialysis treatment, she now only needs to attend a clinic once a fortnight to be reviewed.

“Thank you to Antonia and her family for their patience while the treatment plan was drawn up and put into action and to everyone involved in her care, treatment and forward planning for this transplant to take place.”

Antonia's family said they would like to thank all the staff in the Renal Department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for all the careful support and dedication that they showed to Antonia particularly with her Learning Disability.

They said one special nurse who was her leading nurse throughout had a special connection with Antonia. Holly Jannikos, Antonia's lead nurse, instilled confidence in her from having her blood pressure taken, going onto the dialysis machine, blood tests to finally being with her through to the operating theatre and into the recovery room.