Dad in six-year kidney swap ordeal reaches out to other families

A man whose family life has been put on hold while he's been waiting over six years for a kidney transplant hopes that he can now help other families.
Simon Howell with wife Anita and family SUS-161208-141349001Simon Howell with wife Anita and family SUS-161208-141349001
Simon Howell with wife Anita and family SUS-161208-141349001

Dr Simon Howell has to undergo dialysis four times every day while he waits for a new kidney. “Dialysis keeps me alive whilst I wait for a transplant; but that’s all it does,” says Simon. “ I’m in limbo.”

Simon lives with his wife Anita and two children Sarah, nine, and James, nearly four, at their home in Burgess Hill. Now he and Anita have brought out a book which they hope might help other families in situations such as theirs.

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Said Anita: “Over the last six years we have looked on several occasions for children’s books which would help us explain to our children the changes which were occurring in our lives and why Daddy couldn’t do some of the things that he used to be able to do. Unfortunately we have never been able to find any books, so we used our own knowledge to explain things to Sarah and James.

“However, we really feel that a book would be useful and would help other children like Sarah and James who have a family member with End Stage Renal Failure. So we have written and published the first of three children’s books about dialysis and kidney transplantation ‘H is for Haemodialysis’ ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1535024488 ).”

The book has been endorsed by a top kidney transplant surgeon at Guys Hospital.

The couple’s second book ‘P is for Peritoneal Dialysis’ is currently in production.

The couple also have a Facebook page www.facebook.com/meetLucyandJack

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