A MUM is anxiously waiting to hear if she can donate a vital organ to give her little girl the chance of a normal life.
A MUM is anxiously waiting to hear if she can donate a vital organ to give her little girl the chance of a normal life.
Eva Gillespie, 12, desperately needs a kidney transplant and will discover this week if mum Sharon, 36, can donate one to her.
Without a new kidney Eva faces a lifetime of poor health, medication and the continued threat of blood poisoning caused by chronic renal failure.
Sharon has gone through tests to see if she will be a suitable donor for her daughter after tests on Eva's dad Neil, 36, came back negative at the last minute.
If Sharon is not suitable, Eva will have to go on a lengthy waiting list for a donor to be found.
Sharon said: "We'll find out on Thursday. It's what we're all waiting on. I'm very positive, really hopeful.
"When they gave me the option of being a donor, there was no question. I said yes.
"It's a very serious operation, but I didn't really give it any thought. You'd do anything for your child. That's just what you do. Yes' was something that just rolled off my tongue."
Sharon added: "Eva was diagnosed with renal failure when she was 18 months old. She's been on medication ever since.
"She's very brave. She's the healthiest sick person you could hope to meet. She just gets on with it, even if she's getting tired because of her health.
"She's on eight different types of medication now and has to take them two and three times a day and it's very difficult for her. She'll be on medication for the rest of her life.
"If the transplant gets the go-ahead it will be 20 years before she needs another kidney. It'll make her life so much more normal."
Eva's step dad, and Sharon's husband, John Kelly, 44, added: "We're very positive, everyone's rallying round.
"Once they do the transplant, we'll have both of them recovering at home together. At the moment, we're just staying positive."
Eva, from Clydebank, went into Yorkhill hospital yesterday for an operation that will allow her to be hooked up to a dialysis machine. The process will alleviate some of her symptoms, but she will still need a transplant in the near future.
And despite admitting she was just "a bit scared" about the procedure, the plucky youngster said the most annoying thing was that her hospital stay means she will miss a concert by R&B star Chris Brown tonight.
Eva, who goes to St Columba's High School in Clydebank, said: "I'm a bit scared about the operation, but I'm gutted I'll miss the concert. I was really looking forward to the show."
