DonateLife Week: Kidney recipient and donor pair stick together in sickness and health

In December 2014, Wayne Walker went to the doctor after feeling unwell with what he thought was a sinus issue.

However when things didn't clear up, his wife, Marie, suggested they do a full blood test.

"Within three hours of doing the blood test, I was in the acute medical unit," Mr Walker said.

"In that time, I went from not knowing what my kidney function was to having 11 per cent in three weeks," he said.

"They just couldn't tell me whether I was going to die or not. At that stage, there was more chance that I was going to die than I wouldn't.

"That's very scary."

Mr Walker said doctors worked out he had Goodpasture syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease where antibodies attack the basement membrane of lungs and kidneys.

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"It's a one in a million thing, the doctors said," Mr Walker said.

He said doctors thought they had stopped it after numerous plasma exchanges.

"Basically every day I was having a complete oil change, so to speak," he said.

"It had taken all the toxins out of my body and left me clean as anything inside.

"They said if we can hold it and it doesn't come back within six months, we can look at thinking about getting a new kidney."

After waiting six months, Mr Walker's kidney function was getting worse, but they believed he was well enough for a transplant.

"They said I was compatible for a transplant if I could find a donor," Mr Walker said. "With that, my wife put her hand straight up.

"I've never felt so good in all my life. It was even better when we found out Marie was compatible."

Living donation is an option for patients with end-stage organ failure, where often a loved one will donate a kidney or partial liver.

It took about 12 months for all the tests on Mrs Walker's kidney to be completed.

During that time Mr Walker had three heart attacks. An angiogram couldn't be conducted until well after the new kidney had been transplanted as the dye could have an adverse effect.

Mr Walker's quality of life changed dramatically after the transplant.

The day after the operation, he and Mrs Walker were kept apart. But he was well enough to talk to the other side of the hospital to see her.

"I felt like I was walking on air. Even though you were really, really sore, you felt like you could have walked on the moon," he said.

"It's something I'll never, ever get over, how I felt the next day. I just struggled for so long."

Mrs Walker said he even had colour in his face again, instead of the pale yellow hue he was previously.

"Yet I couldn't get out of bed the next day," she said.

Following the transplant, Mr Walker was finally able to have an angiogram and had two stents put in.

"I've been good as gold ever since," he said.

Mr and Mrs Walker recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Mr Walker said his wife had carried him through the tough times.

"Isn't that what you do for one another?" Mrs Walker said. "It's 'in sickness and in health'."