Steven and Kael took their dedicated friendship that one step further with a once-in-a-lifetime gesture that ultimately saved Steven’s life.
At the beginning of 2020, Steven from Clydach was suffering with restless limbs, cramp, and occasional vomiting but didn’t think anything was seriously wrong.
Having run out of tablets to treat a gout complaint, he called his GP to ask for more but was told he needed a blood test first.
Steven, however was shocked to find the test had revealed that his kidney function had dropped down to 20% and if it got any lower he would need a transplant.
Two years later, it had fallen critically further down to just 5% and conversations began about the prospect of a kidney transplant, with Steven facing a waiting list of around two years for a deceased donor and the prospect of dying.
“I told Kael about it and he just said ‘have one of mine’. He was quite laid back about it, he went and got tested and he was a better match than my sister.”
The pair had met almost a decade ago when Kael, from Loughor, joined the rugby team that Steven played for and then later became Kael’s best man at his wedding.
“We were both mad about rugby,” father of two Kael, 35, said.
“When I found out he had an issue with his kidneys and needed a new one, I had the conversation with my wife and stepped up to the plate. I have done it just to keep him alive.
“I went for blood tests and kidney function tests, and I am petrified of needles, the tests all came back and I was a perfect match.
“We had to go through this process with the donor board, being a living donor, they have to check that no money has been crossed hands and no bribery or anything. They wanted to see photos of us together throughout the years,”
Steven explained how the friends used pictures to verify their 10-year friendship.
By September 2023, Steve’s kidney function had dropped to 2% and he was having dialysis three times a week. He desperately needed a new organ to keep him alive, and luckily for him he did not face a long wait thanks to his best friend’s donation with the pair undergoing the procedure on February 19 at the University of Wales Hospital, Cardiff.
“We were three rooms away I remember coming back into the room,” continued Kael. “I just wanted to see him but I could not, I was face timing him, he looked a million dollars, he felt different, he he just had a warm glow.
“I could just tell through the phone that his colour was back in his face.”
“Straight after the surgery I felt so much better,” Steven said. “I hadn’t felt like that in about three years.”
Steven has urged people to go to the GP if they sense anything is wrong.
“I was just putting it off and putting it off, but looking back if I hadn’t gone for a blood test I might not be here today. It’s so important.”
[Lead image: Steven Smith]
