Keeleigh John, a woman from Bridgwater in Somerset, has shared her joy at being pregnant years after undergoing a life-saving double organ transplant as a child. Doctors had informed her family that having children would likely be impossible.
John, now 28, was diagnosed with chronic renal failure and received a new liver and kidneys at age 12. Following a recovery that included four bouts of sepsis this year, she discovered she was pregnant on the day she returned home from the hospital. She attributes this unexpected turn of events to the generosity of her donor's family.
"We're at the 14-week point now. Baby looks healthy, I'm doing really well," John stated. "They've done all the tests and they've said it's almost impossible for any sort of condition that I have to transfer over to baby."
Her mother, Tracy John, recounted the initial prognosis. "Me and my husband were told years ago we'd be lucky to see her survive to eight, and then it was to 12," she said. "Then she received a transplant and now she's flying all over the world and having her own children. It's just something we never dreamed of."
John has become an advocate for organ donation, actively campaigning for the NHS Organ Donor Register. She emphasizes the importance of donation, stating, "If you are prepared to accept an organ, you should be prepared to donate one."
Her activism extends to participating in the British Transplant Games and international events, where she has won multiple gold medals in disciplines such as shot put, archery, and discus. She is awaiting news on her potential selection for the 2027 World Transplant Games in Belgium.
"I'm hoping I'll be on that plane to Belgium next year, hopefully with a tiny little baby," John said, expressing her hope that her achievements would make both her family and her donor's family proud.
She added that her current life, including her pregnancy, was made possible by the donor's family's decision during what must have been an incredibly difficult time. "Not only would my life not have been possible, but also now I'm creating a life which also wouldn't have been possible. We never thought it would be possible."
Her mother echoed these sentiments, expressing gratitude to the donor family. "Without the donor family, for one, I wouldn't have my baby here, and she wouldn't have had the chance to have her own baby," she said.
Recent figures from NHS Blood and Transplant indicate a 9% decrease in deceased donation rates compared to the previous year, while the UK transplant waiting list has reached a record high. In response, the NHS has launched its first "urgent response plan" to address the decline in organ donations.