29/07/2026
My side of the kidney transplant story 🙏
My mum’s perspective was posted on Share Your Wishes this morning. I’ll also share it.
Thanks as always to Share Your Wishes for the work they do to promote organ donation 🙌
7 years ago today, Lewis, grandson of Paul Daniels, the famous magician, and son of magician and entertainer, Martin Daniels, received a kidney from his mum Joanne, whose story we shared earlier today. This evening Lewis shares his story:
“I began studying physiotherapy at university in September 2017, ready for what I was always told would be three of the best years of my life. However, for the first 6 months I suffered with near nightly calf cramps in both legs. After unsuccessful treatment for this and giving a simple blood and urine sample, on 14th March 2018, I was sent to A&E with an unexpectedly low kidney function and ridiculously high blood pressure for urgent testing. A couple of my flatmates were tasked with keeping me calm despite none of us really knowing what was wrong as we settled in for the 7 hours that followed.
After several blood tests, an ECG and filling a countless number of pots with my frothy wee, I was eventually taken to a ward and could finally have something to eat (looking back, pizza probably wasn’t the best option). This is where I remained until the afternoon of 16th March when my blood pressure was eventually low and stable enough to be discharged. During my stay I found out my eGFR (kidney filtration rate) was 38ml/min (rough %) (normal = 90+). Naturally this was scary, and I was hoping this was only a water infection, however Dr Google suggested otherwise...
About 3 weeks later, I had a kidney biopsy and my diagnosis was confirmed. I had IgA Nephropathy, an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the kidneys, and a blood test showed that my eGFR had dropped to about 25ml/min. At this point I still wasn’t too worried as I’d read that it is a condition that can be managed by sensible lifestyle choices such as following a low salt diet. Little did I know that the next few years would have so many mental and physical tests in store.
Around September 2018, I was told that it was highly likely that I would require a kidney transplant in the next 10 years. I remember being told this by the consultant nephrologist and sitting in the room for about an hour feeling emotions I’ve never felt before with so many different thoughts running through my head. Fear, apprehension and uncertainty were just a few! My eGFR remained stable in the low 20s until late December 2018 when it dropped to 18 and the timescale for needing a transplant continued to shorten. This was the start of a rapid decline in kidney function!
During this period of time my attitude was to keep my life as normal as possible and continue to do the things I enjoy. Physical activity was my release, so I made sure I kept my fitness levels up, allowing me to play cricket at least 3 times a week in summer and football two or three times a week for the rest of the year alongside going to gym. I managed to complete the first two years of my degree with marks that were respectable even without the added stress of chronic kidney disease as well as working part time as a magician, performing close up at weddings and parties as well as on stage, including opening a BBC Children in Need show at the New Theatre Royal, Lincoln in November 2018.
At the start of May 2019, the timescale was updated to 6-12 months with the plan being to undergo a pre-emptive live donor transplant. My mum, dad and uncle began the testing process and it turned out that my mum was the best match. I still wanted to keep my life as normal as possible and was able to play cricket up until 8 days before my transplant, although bowling more than a few overs and running to the boundary was much more difficult at this point.
About 8 weeks before my transplant, my eGFR was 9ml/min and dialysis was starting to become a possibility as a bridging gap. In an attempt to avoid this, I was placed on a low protein diet to try to see me through to transplant. This is definitely the most restrictive diet I have ever been on but I was determined to make it a success, even making the decision to go gluten free as the bread contained less protein so I was able to consume calories this way rather than eating bags upon bags of boiled sweets. Sticking to the diet payed off as I was able to maintain my kidney function until the date of my transplant.
After 3 months of testing, my mum very kindly donated a kidney to me on 29th July 2019 to give me a second chance at life and allow me to have the opportunity to fulfil my ambitions for the future. This is the best gift I could ever receive, and I will always be grateful! I can’t say thank you enough.
I spent 11 days in hospital with the only complication being that my bladder became blocked by blood clots after removing the catheter, so I had to have the dreaded 3-way catheter inserted at 5am to flush out the clots. If you’ve had one, then you’ll know what this feels like but safe to say it was one of the worst experiences I’ve had!
After returning home, I felt significantly better and realised how much I had been affected by CKD. My dad had taken time off work to look after me at home whilst I was still feeling the effects of abdominal surgery and with all my appointments being in Liverpool, we spent a lot of time on the motorway for the 230-mile round trip that was initially twice a week! This didn’t bother either of us as we knew the travelling was worth it to make sure the kidney was working as it should. I rested at home and walked around the village when I was fit enough to, following everything I was told to do by the renal team. Even up until now, 7 years post-transplant, it has still been mentally tough at times as I care so much about my new kidney and would like nothing more than for it to function as well as it can. There have been a few hiccups along the way with a low white blood cell count and picking up an infection but other than that and of course the Covid-19 pandemic, it couldn’t really have gone much better for me. My kidney function is stable and higher than my family and I ever thought it could be.
Returning to sport was something I was very keen to do. I joined the England and Wales Transplant Cricket a few months after my transplant and, after 3 seasons of fixtures were unfortunately postponed, made my debut in a match against an NHS Blood and Transplant Select XI in June 2023. This was a very proud day for myself and my family and one that I’ll remember forever. So many sport-playing children have a dream of playing their sport for their country one day and in unexpected circumstances – I never knew I’d need a transplant when I was growing up – I’ve managed to make that a reality. I’m now in my 3rd full season with the team andlooking forward to hopefully playing many more matches, demonstrating the benefits of organ donation around the country. In 2025, we played against the Australia Transplant Lucky Stars Cricket Team in a three match Transplant Ashes series, including a match at my local club. It was an unforgettable week of cricket with a special group of people, made even better by winning the series 2-1. Hopefully we can travel to Australia in the future for the return fixtures. I have found joining the team very beneficial and really enjoy meeting up with like-minded people who all know what the others have been through to play the sport we love.
I’m about to take part in my fifth Transplant Active - Home of the British Transplant Games along with so many other people who have been through similar processes to me, coming together for a celebration of organ donation that wouldn’t be possible without the selfless act of donors, whether that be live or cadaveric. This year it’s extra special as my team, Sheffield, are the host team. Before taking part in the British Transplant Games, everyone I had spoken to had told me that it was like being part of one big family and, having now experienced it first hand, I couldn’t agree more.
With sport, and particularly cricket, being one of my main motivations leading up to the transplant, a source of targets to hit afterwards and having a lot of free time during the lockdowns, I decided I wanted to give something back and help others who are going through what myself and countless others have been through. This is where an idea I first had in the first lockdown became a reality. In the second lockdown, I created and launched my transplant themed, sport podcast, ‘Transplants Take On Sport’, something I am very proud of. Each episode I am joined by a guest from the world of transplants and sport to talk about just that and anything else that may come up. We talk through their transplant story, sporting achievements and how sport has been beneficial to them before and after their transplant. I billed it as lighthearted and, whilst that is the intention, it can naturally become deep in places due to the nature of the topics discussed. The podcast is available on all major podcast providers and can be found by searching Transplants Take On Sport on your app of choice or by going to linktr.ee/transplantstakeonsportpod, where you’ll find links to listen as well as links to the social media pages. Although there haven’t been any new episodes released for a while due to work commitments, over 30 episodes are available to listen to.
When the pandemic hit, I fully moved home from my student accommodation and my care was transferred to a different hospital, who were brilliant in making the transition from one hospital to another a smooth one. The time at home gave methe opportunity to think and reflect, leading to me starting my training to become a personal trainer and nutritionist in 2022. This marked a new chapter in my life and one that I thoroughly enjoy as I’m able to work in an industry I’m passionate about, helping other people make positive changes and achieve their goals. I’ve been a personal trainer for a while now and believe the decision to change career path is one of the best decisions I’ve made. Alongside helping people work towards and achieve a variety of goals in person, online coaching allows me to work with people further away from where I live. I have an interest in helping people pre and post-transplant and living donation be as fit and strong as they can be before and after surgery, combining my knowledge of training and nutrition with the personal experience of going through the transplant process and living with a transplant. If you’re interested in finding out more about how I can help you, I can be contacted via social media ( – where I’ll also continue to post plenty of useful content) or email ([email protected]).
Over the last 6 years, I’ve tried to raise awareness for organ donation as often as I can. A couple of years ago, I was honoured to be asked to be an ambassador for Kidney Care UK and said yes without hesitation. I’m immensely proud to have this role within the charity and hope to work with them for a long time.
Despite my kidney function being stable for so long, a position I’m very fortunate to be in, the last couple of yearshave been difficult at times. In May 2024, I was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a progressive neurological condition affecting the peripheral nervous system. This comes with a number of physical challenges, with my legs and feet being impacted more than my wrists and hands. I’ve been living with the condition from birth but only started noticing the symptoms in my late teens. The type of CMT I have is extremely rare and caused by a mutation of the INF2 gene, which also causes focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). FSGS causes scarring to the filters in the kidneys and can lead to kidney failure, meaning my initial diagnosis is highly likely to have been incorrect and is now being treated as FSGS rather than IgA nephropathy. At first, this was difficult to come to terms with and came with many questions for the renal genetics team to answer in order to put my mind at rest, however, the answers were overwhelmingly positive for the long-term health of my kidney. As my mum does not have a mutated INF2 gene (I’m the first in the family to have this), the FSGS is unlikely to return in the transplanted kidney, improving the long-term prognosis.
Once I’d accepted my CMT diagnosis, I joined the Yorkshire CCC Disability cricket team, turning a challenging situation into a positive experience. I’m currently in my second season with the team and really enjoying playing with a group of players with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and hearing impairments. I’m extremely fortunate and grateful to have experienced some incredible things with this team, such as playing at Headingley Stadium and Arundel Castle. Recently, we won the D40 Pursuit North & Midlands league with maximum points so have a national semi-final to look forward to in August. Again, as a child, I never thought I’d play county cricket so to have played county and international cricket is a special feeling and another example of trying to find positive outcomes from situations that can be perceived as negative. My training in the gym has stepped up a level as I’m motivated to not let my health issues define me and would like to play sport to the highest level I’m able to for as long as possible. I’ve gained a significant amount of muscle mass, experimented with a variety of exercises and training schedules to find the most effective ways for me to train in terms of performance and recovery, and have improved my flexibility through regular stretching and use of a massage gun. I’m very proud of the physical and mental progress made since the CMT diagnosis and grateful for the supportive people and environment around me.
Thank you so much to all the hospital staff for giving me such a high standard of care and getting me through to this point so smoothly. The transplant and nephrology teams have been amazing! Another thank you to all my family and friends who have been so supportive from the start. Without all these people, I wouldn’t be looking forward to the life ahead of me today.
And finally, of course, a huge thank you to my mum who put herself through a major operation of her own to change my life completely! She’s given me the gift of life twice!
I hope other people can be as fortunate as I have been and experience the unbelievable benefits of organ donation!
Please about your decisions with your loved ones, say and register your decision at NHS Organ Donation
