A plea on social media has been made by Craig Bould, a trucker from Hatfield near Doncaster, who is seeking a kidney donor to reclaim his normal life.
Diagnosed with stage-five kidney disease in 2016, Craig initially underwent transplant surgery, but unfortunately, his body is now rejecting the organ.
Spending eight hours daily on a dialysis machine, he has had to relinquish his job, which involved living in his lorry during the week.
Expressing the challenges of life on dialysis, Craig told BBC Radio Sheffield that it is not a fulfilling existence, preventing him from resuming his previous activities and job. Recalling a year ago when he was working, spending time with his kids, and enjoying life, he expressed a strong desire to return to that normalcy.
The journey with kidney issues began in 2009 when Craig was diagnosed with kidney failure after seeking medical attention for chest pain. Although a life-saving transplant in 2018 initially offered hope, the organ started failing despite his efforts. Doctors attempted various interventions, including medications and surgeries, but none proved successful.
Highlighting the urgency of his situation, Craig’s appeal underscores the challenges he faces daily. With the average waiting time for a kidney transplant being two to three years, he hopes to find a donor soon to regain a semblance of the life he once had.
On January 9th, Craig posted this heart felt message on Facebook:
❤️❤️ Dear Friends/family ❤️❤️
I am going to ask a huge favour. I am embarrassed yet humbled to be writing this. I am in need of a kidney transplant. My favour of you, is to ask that if you can’t donate, please share this post on your Facebook Page so that it can get exposure. Maybe some kind stranger will come forward and help me get the gift of life.
I was diagnosed with Stage 5 Kidney Disease in 2016 after my kidneys started to fail around 2009. Until then I was perfectly healthy. I don’t, drink or do drugs. My kidneys function is currently around 5%.I was lucky enough to receive a life saving kidney transplant in 2018, which gave me my life back, and while I’m grateful for the 5 years of good health, it wasn’t to be, through no fault of my own here I am again 5 years later back on dialysis for 9 hours every day. And I have had to give up my job which I loved so much driving my Truck all over the UK as Dialysis in a lorry isn’t feasible.
Though I am 41 it seems an unfair twist to my journey, having to go through all this again and me asking for help to find a kidney. Though it will be hard I’m determined to face it with optimism. I share my life with my wife Nicola and my 3 children and my dog Reggie
My blood type is B+. There is also the kidney paired scheme a Kidney Swap program so if we don’t match, you could donate to a recipient in need and their donor would donate for me and I would receive a kidney. In some circumstances this sets off a multi-recipient chain that can be as long as 24+ people getting kidneys because of one altruistic donor. You have the power to give so many people long, healthy lives.
If you’re interested in giving me the gift of life and donating a kidney, please message me and ask for more details.
Thank you for reading this, and for your consideration and sharing of my story with the world, so that I can get the help that I desperately need.
Yours Craig aka Bouldy
If you can help, you can contact Craig via his Facebook HERE
