JULIE MARKLEW is a devoted mother to her four sons. Here, her eldest – Wil – describes how she selflessly saved his life…
Waking up in a hospital bed, I felt groggy but I only had one question. ‘How’s Mum?’
‘The operation was a success,’ the doctor smiled. ‘Your mum’s not woken up yet, but she’s fine.’
It was July 2022 and I’d just undergone a kidney transplant – the kidney donated by my wonderful mum, Julie. I’d had a horrendous year of not knowing what my future held. Diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that had left me with acute kidney failure, at one point I was given just two days to live.
But thanks to my mum, I was given a second chance at life…
Growing up, our house in Barrow, Cumbria, was a busy one. Mum looked after all of us – my three younger brothers: Kyle, 26, Neo, 19, and Jon, 16, and my dad.
Mum was the matriarch of our household, ferrying us to after-school clubs, making sure our football kits were ready, and feeding us... at the time I’d had no idea how hard she worked to run our home.
Like Dad, Kyle and I became professional golfers, playing across the UK in various tournaments. Mum worked as a primary school teacher.
I was 25, and lived a few minutes away from my parents when, in the spring of 2021, my life was turned upside down. I was on the green with Dad when I suddenly felt nauseous. My vision went blurry, and I started vomiting. It wasn’t the first time I’d had spells of dizziness, but never this bad.
I tried to call my girlfriend Kayleigh, but I couldn’t see the
screen of my phone. She made me an appointment at the local opticians for the following day.
‘Burst blood vessels,’ the optometrist suggested. He thought it could be diabetes-related and referred me to the eye clinic at Furness General Hospital for some tests.
My blood pressure was sky-high. There were lots of tests – a CT scan, an MRI and a test on my heart.
It was way more serious than I’d imagined. I was helicoptered to the Royal Preston Hospital. I’d almost had complete renal failure (where your kidneys are no longer able to filter and clean blood). I had just two days to live without immediate, specialist treatment. My heart was working at just 45 per cent capacity, and my organs were shutting down. I’d only gone in for an eye test!
Ultimately, I needed a new kidney – I’d developed a condition called IgA nephropathy, which meant my immune system was attacking my body. I was given small doses of chemotherapy over the course of eight weeks and although it made a small difference, I needed a transplant
