French Alps

When Ninon Ferguson offered to donate one of her kidneys to a colleague at work, he thought she was joking.

Stuart Middleton had received a transplant from His Mother several years earlier But .

So when Ninon offered him one of her kidneys while they were chatting at work, he did not believe it at first.

However, the 36-year-old mother-of-one was determined to go ahead.

She told Bbc Scotland she had wanted to Do Something " significant" in her life.

" People have asked me why I did it and The Answer is I did it for his two young sons, " She Said .

" Children without parents is a painful thought for me.

" My son is the same age as his eldest, and when I Heard I couldn't bear imagining for even One Second his sons losing a dad. "

At The Time her family, who live in the French Alps , questioned her decision - But now they ask after Stuart's health.

" My Family were taken aback and were really worried about the long-term difficulties, " She Said .

" They also thought kidney donation was for A Family member, not a colleague. But they are so proud of me now that they can see I've fully recovered.

" Stuart is an amazing person and I know I made The Right decision. I'm very glad I did it. "

Ninon, a transactions manager at energy company Intergen, lives in Edinburgh with her eight-year-old son, Zander.

She kept her decision secret from Most People , including other colleagues, until after the transplant operation in November 2017.

" I didn't want anyone to change my mind and I didn't want anyone to jinx it. I was certain I wanted to do it so I didn't tell a soul, " She Said .

Ninon had to undergo physical tests to see if she was a match, But said that a medical interview was " the hardest bit".

" They were asking me all these questions to make sure I knew of the risks of the operation and I couldn't remember all The Details , " she recalled.

" I got flustered and started crying because I thought I had messed it up. "

However, she passed and the operation went ahead.

Ninon said she suffered back pain for a few weeks after the operation, But now lives a " healthy and happy" life with one kidney. She Said she wanted to encourage Other People to consider donating a kidney.

Intergen has given her an award at work for an " outstanding act of kindness and selflessness".

David Bogie , The Company 's financial controller, said: " There is a balance you strike at work between being professional and being a good friend, and this goes beyond what I would expect or consider doing myself.

" It takes Something Special to give a part of you to a work colleague and I find it quite extraordinary.

" I and other colleagues were shocked and surprised, But equally it gave us a sense of incredible pride. "

Stuart, 46, said he was " incredibly lucky" to have met Ninon and described her generosity as " incomprehensible".

" I don't think there are many colleagues who would have done this, " He Said .

" And the even more incredible part is she doesn't think it's a Big Deal . It's hard to convey just quite how special a person she is. "

Professor Lorna Marson, from Kidney Research UK, said it was common for people to offer a kidney to A Family member - But less common for someone to donate to a casual acquaintance or co-worker.

In the UK, More Than 100 people a year donate a kidney to someone they do not know.

" A transplant procedure comes with risks for both donor and recipient, But a successful operation can be life-changing for The Kidney patient, " She Said .

Stuart, who lives in Lauder in the Scottish Borders, had Already Gone through a transplant nine years before he received a new kidney from Ninon.

He was given a kidney from His Mother , Val Middleton, 76, after discovering that he had Berger's Disease - where a Build Up of antibodies destroy The Kidney 's function.

Ninon said she knew that The Kidney she had donated would also stop working One Day .

" But you have to Be Positive and I hold onto the fact my kidney was young so it will be longer before it fails, " She Said .

" I've saved someone's life, I Am very proud of myself and can now always feel I've done at least one special thing in My Life .

" It's great to see him doing so well and that makes me so happy. "

Source of news: bbc.com