Medics stunned as 700 people come forward to offer a kidney to 12-year-old boy Jack in Leeds Council care

Medics battling to save a little boy in council care say they are blown away by a community's compassion as hundreds of well wishers come forward to offer him a kidney.

Leeds City Council, in an incredibly unusual move, issued a direct appeal last week for a donor to come forward to help a 12-year-old known only as Jack.

The boy, who has been in local authority care since 2022, has been on the transplant waiting list for years after he was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure as a baby.

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Now, after more than 700 enquiries were received in the space of just days, stunned medics say there is new hope for his future.

Leeds City Council issued an urgent appeal.Leeds City Council issued an urgent appeal.
Leeds City Council issued an urgent appeal.

And if a potential donor touched by Jack's story now proves a match for someone else on the waiting list, many more lives could be saved if they are happy to carry on.

Coun Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s (LCC) executive member for children, said simply: “Thank you Leeds for your phenomenal response to our appeal asking for help for this young boy.

“We have been blown away and are profoundly grateful to everyone for sharing the campaign so widely and to the potential donors who have come forward in their hundreds.

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“This just shows how the people of Leeds can come together when it counts and how compassionate our city is when it comes to supporting one of our own."

Jack's real name has been hidden to protect his identity. He was first diagnosed with chronic kidney failure at the age of just 10-months and has been waiting for a transplant since 2019.

But his condition is worsening. Recent complications mean he is now on his last treatment option - hooked up to a dialysis machine for four hours a day, three days a week.

He spends his time building Lego, watching YouTube and doing his schoolwork, nurses said, but he asks every day if a donor has been found.

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“We’re told this is the last form of dialysis he can have and it also comes with its own risks, which increase the longer he is receiving it,” carers said. “A kidney transplant is now his best option.”

It is highly unusual for a council to make a public appeal about a child in care. His carers, and the clinical team, are "deeply touched" by the scale of support they've seen. Messages have come from as far afield as Australia.

Transplant co-ordinators at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) have now paused enquiries for Jack, as they take time to process the hundreds received so far.

They hope the surge in sudden interest can help others though, and are urging people to register on the NHS Organ Donation national database.

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A spokesperson from the LTHT’s Live Donor Team said: “We’re delighted by the response to this particular campaign and would like to thank everyone who has come forward to offer their support to ‘Jack’.

“Due to the scale of the response, at present we are no longer looking for new enquiries for this patient but anyone who is thinking about becoming an organ donor should visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk as there are many other patients waiting for donor organs.”

Coun Hayden added: “We truly hope this will lead to some positive news for Jack. The appeal has also shone an important spotlight on the need for donors to help all those on transplant waiting lists and we would urge anyone who has been moved by this campaign to please consider adding their names to the organ donation register and help all those still looking for their match.”

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