10:00am Thursday 11th March 2010
By Harry Hogger
A PORTLAND family are celebrating ‘getting their dad back’ after a life-changing transplant operation.
Barry Kenneally has finally had a successful kidney and pancreas transplant after languishing on the waiting list for almost three years.
Barry, 37, who suffers from diabetes and kidney failure, has now celebrated getting his life back.
He is also planning a long-awaited family holiday with wife Nicola and children Jessica, seven, and Sam, four, after finally getting his life-changing operation.
He faced an uncertain future as his kidneys and pancreas gradually deteriorated.
He received the call to go up to Churchill Hospital in Oxford in the middle of the night and the procedure was given the green light.
After a minor complication following the operation, Barry is now recovering well and doctors are pleased with his progress.
Wife Nicola said: “It was about 9.15pm he got the phone call from Oxford to say they have got the kidney and the pancreas and he was first choice.
“So he jumped in the car and it was around 2am when they said they were OK to go ahead with it.
“They took him down for the operation at around 4am. They could only confirm the final match after they had opened him up.”
Nicola said Barry returned from the operating theatre around seven hours later and early signs suggested the procedure had been a success.
However, scans revealed a blood clot in the pancreas the following day that required more surgery.
Nicola said: “It was scary, the pancreas just wasn’t doing what it should be doing so they took him back down to the theatre.
“They have now cleared the blockage and the blood tests are coming back as expected.
“The doctor said that Barry was doing really well and they are very happy with his progress so far.”
Nicola paid special tribute to ‘the best neighbour ever’, Stuart Cave, who drove Barry up to Oxford while she stayed and looked after the children and later also took her up to visit her husband.
She said: “Stuart wanted to take Barry up. He stayed overnight and kept me informed on what was going on.”
One of the things Barry has said he is most looking forward to is taking his children on a proper holiday.
Since he has been on the waiting list he has had to be available to go to Oxford at a few hours notice so the family has been unable to go away.
Nicola said: “As soon as Barry is well enough to we are going to go away and be a normal family. The children have got their dad back.”
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