Full of vitality and committed to improving the health of her patients, there is little indication nurse Violet Fazal-Sanderson, 47, has been through any kind of ill health - let alone two gruelling kidney transplants.

A specialist endocrine nurse based at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM) at the Churchill Hospital, she works just a few steps away from the Oxford Transplant Unit which has saved her life on two separate occasions.

But she once feared her nursing career was over before it had begun.

She said: "I was 19 and had just finished my orthopaedic training at the The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford when I suffered a bad bout of flu.

"The flu went, but I did not seem to recover. I had a medical before entering my nursing training and that was fine. But another medical showed I had a low haemoglobin level."

Haemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.

She said: "I thought I had an iron deficiency, but I had more tests and my levels went even lower.

"And that was when they told me I had renal failure. I was devastated. I'd always wanted to do nursing and I thought this was it - my career was over before I'd even finished my training.

"But the doctors here told me not to worry. They said everything that could be done to help me continue with my training would be done - and it was."

Doctors at the Oxford Transplant Unit asked whether any of her family members, living in Bicester, could be donors.

She said: "I was the oldest of six children and felt all my brothers and sisters were too young to go through such a thing.

"I also felt guilty that I was suffering from this illness and I didn't want to worry my family, so I probably didn't tell them how ill I was."

She started to dialysise at home and at work between shifts.

She got through her training and six months later got a call saying an organ had become available.

She said: "As a Christian, I had a tremendous feeling of gratitude to my donor for giving me this new chance at life."

The new kidney lasted for nine years. After it failed, she went back on the transplant list and waited a year for another kidney.

She said: "I remember I was working in Intensive care at the John Radcliffe hospital at the time. I was on a day off and got the call in the night. I was really worried about who would do my shift."

Mrs Fazal-Sanderson said her work has often kept her going.

She said: "Even though I was sometimes looking after people in renal failure who were very ill, I just wanted to help them. I didn't think this could be me one day.

"I also didn't tell many people at work. I didn't want them to treat me any differently - a few were pretty surprised when they found out I was having a transplant"

Her second transplant took place on New Year's Day 1994.

She said: "I don't know how long this transplant will last and I don't think about it either.

"I feel it is a privilege to be doing this job and I want to achieve as much as I can in my career and return some of the help I have had.

"I am full of gratitude for all the medical and nursing staff at the Oxford Transplant Centre for their care, advice and continual support. I pray that I can be as caring and supportive, if not even more so, to my patients.

"I'd also like to encourage as many people as possible to sign the Organ Donor Register, to help the many other people out there whose lives could be transformed by a transplant."

4:07pm Sunday 20th April 2008

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