from this is Derbyshire
A PATIENT who underwent pioneering heart transplant surgery 23 years ago is now in need of a kidney.
Paul Taylor took part in the UK's first "domino" heart transplant, receiving the donation from a patient who, in turn, underwent a heart and lungs transplant.
Now Mr Taylor has been diagnosed with kidney failure and placed on the transplant waiting list.
But he remains optimistic and is delighted to be celebrating the anniversary of the 1987 operation this weekend.
The 50-year-old, of Stenson Road, Sunnyhill, said: "I look forward to the anniversary of my transplant more than my birthday.
"It feels like an achievement to get to another year.
"I set myself goals. I've seen my 50th birthday and now my next target is to watch the 2012 Olympics.
"When I first had the operation, surviving for five to ten years would have been great."
Mr Taylor takes medication to stop his body rejecting the transplant.
He says it is possible this has affected his kidneys over the years, causing them to fail.
Since May, he has been visiting Royal Derby Hospital three times a week for dialysis to remove toxins from his blood.
He said: "I might have developed this problem anyway but the drugs haven't helped. It's not uncommon for heart transplant patients to develop problems with their kidneys over time, due to the medication."
Mr Taylor was only 27 when he was told he urgently needed a transplant.
At that time he had been married to his wife Karen for just five years and had only recently become a father to son Gareth. He became ill in April 1987, when he was struck down by a virus which caused one side of his heart to fail.
Doctors warned him that his heart was dying and that, without a new organ, he would not live to see the end of the year.
Fortunately, a donor was found in time and the operation was a success.
His new heart came from Mark Dolby, of Market Deeping, Lincolnshire, who suffered from cystic fibrosis and needed a lung transplant.
In the 1980s, it was not possible to give a lung transplant without replacing the heart as well, so Mr Dolby's healthy heart was able to save Mr Taylor's life. The pair are still in contact.
The first UK heart transplant took place in 1968.
To sign the national organ donor register, visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk or call 0300 123 2323.
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