NHS: Portsmouth teen waiting for "life-saving" multiple organ transplant

For Christmas, most kids will be wanting the latest toys, gadgets and trendy clothes. But one teenager is asking for something far more personal - and far more important. Jude Allen, 13 from Portsmouth, is sat on a waiting list for multiple organ transplants, with a lack of child donors meaning he can do little more than wait for organs to become available.

Jude received a transplant five years ago (stomach, pancreas, liver, small and large intestine). Currently he has been listed for a repeat multi organ transplant, the same organs again plus abdominal wall, after complications with his first transplant.

His mother, Kellie, said: "Jude had intestinal failure aged two, leaving him dependant on intravenous nutrition. He has suffered recurrent bouts of sepsis, keeping him in hospital for very long periods of time so was listed for a multi organ transplant.

“He waited 875 days for his first transplant. Currently he has been listed for repeat multi-visceral transplant including abdominal wall after a huge bowel obstruction in March of this year causing him to lose function of the graft.

“He has no abdominal muscles so the stomas on his tummy are not only unsightly but also at risk of injury. As a 13 year old boy now this is extremely hard for his self-image and anxiety, not only does he have to cope with these issues, he is dependent on IV nutrition and fluid, medication and nursing care. He has three brothers whose lives have been hugely impacted.

“Jude had five years, a snippet of what normal life can look like. A transplant isn’t a cure but a choice that can give a child or adult the gift of life. Without a transplant Jude’s life looks very different to how it once was.

“It's a long agonising wait for the gift of life. Would you accept an organ donation for you or your child if your/their life depended on it? If you are prepared to say yes then you really should be on that list.”

Angie Scales, lead nurse for paediatric organ donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, added: “For many children on the transplant waiting list, their only hope is the parent of another child saying 'yes' to organ donation at a time of immense sadness and personal grief. Yet, families tell us that agreeing to organ donation can also be a source of great comfort and pride.

“When organ donation becomes a possibility, it is often in very sudden or unexpected circumstances. When families have already had the opportunity to consider organ donation previously or know already it is something they support, it makes a difficult situation that bit easier.

“By encouraging more young people and their families to confirm their support for organ donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register, we hope to be able to save more lives of children, both today and in the future.”