Finding Strength in Unity

Savvas Demetriou and Anna Demetriou's intertwined journey is a poignant story of overcoming challenges and embracing hope. Savvas, faced a daunting diagnosis of IGA Kidney Nephropathy, and navigated through health struggles and dialysis treatment, all while striving to maintain a sense of normalcy in his life. With the support of his wife, Anna, Savvas they together confronted the realities of his condition with courage and determination.

Below is Savvas and Anna’s story.

“My name is Savvas Demetriou, I’d like to share my journey about how I developed IGA Kidney Nephropathy.

I first met my wife in 1975, we got married in 1976 and were both aged 19.

We had a happy normal life, two years passed and we had our first child and three years later, our second son.

In the beginning of the eighties, I was getting regular kidney infections with blood in my urine, I kept going to the GP who prescribed antibiotics. Later we were referred to Queens Hospital, Burton-On-Trent, twice and then referred twice to Birmingham at the Pathways Clinic for an endoscopy.

In the nineties I was referred to a renal specialist clinic at Burton-On-Trent where I had a biopsy and was prescribed blood pressure tablets to control my high blood pressure. The Nephrologist kept an eye on me and put me on a salt free diet.

In 2005 I was referred to the Derby Royal Hospital renal unit where I was monitored by a specialist team. Slowly my kidney function started to decline, and I was told I would go on the kidney transplant list.                                                                                                                     

My name is Anna Demetriou, I’d like to start my story on how I became a kidney donor.

For the past 37 years my husband Savvas had IGA Kidney Nephropathy he had frequent visits to the Derby Royal hospital and was kept to a strict diet to keep his high blood pressure low.

Savvas carried on with his normal life by working, gardening and also liked to go on regular holidays. In the last 12 years he began to deteriorate and we then stopped travelling.

In the last 7 years he was on the transplant waiting list, when his kidney function was at 10%, he was placed on PD dialysis which was done 4 times a day at home.

During this time, I had many tests to see if I was compatible as a live donor which thankfully, I was.

The operation, which was cancelled 3 times prior, finally happened when we received a date, 28^th September 2022.

I was scared and nervous but it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to see my husband well because deep down, I knew he was worried but he never showed it because he didn’t want to worry me.

Finally, when the day arrived, my son took me to Nottingham City Hospital. On the day I was not scared or nervous, I put my faith in God and the surgeons. When I woke up after the surgery, my husband and I were in the same recovery room and when I saw him looking well straight away the surgeon said I gave him a good kidney.

Now 16 months later we are now travelling again and having days out, going to restaurants and enjoying our lives as before.

Being a donor was the best thing I could have done and I am also well I just have to have yearly check-ups and no medication.”