Hamilton mum loses 13kg to donate kidney to son
Suzanne Nicholson didn't have to search for motivation when she was sweating it out at the gym.
The Hamilton mother was driven to get her kidneys in the best condition possible before she donated one to son Chris on his 27th birthday.
Four months later, Chris is preparing for a new job. And Suzanne's achievements have been recognised with a top award from women's gym network Curves - New Zealand Curvette of the Year 2015.
"I was still lying in bed after the transplant and the curtain opened and there was this, hello, Mum. I couldn't believe it. He had his trolley, drips and things," Suzanne, 58, said.
"He needed a kidney, I needed to give him the best I could. Therefore I got fitter and more healthy and I feel really good. And in doing so, Christopher's got a new life. We've helped each other."
Suzanne, who is visually impaired, shed 13kg over the 18 months before the surgery, walking to Curves Chartwell up to four times a week to work out.
Chris was astounded.
"I've tried to walk down to the letterbox with my eyes closed and I can barely do that. Mum manages to cross two busy roads to get to the gym."
The surgery at Auckland Hospital on August 19 came after Chris's kidney function got down to 15 per cent after a 13-year battle with kidney disease.
He was too unwell to put his paramedic's degree to use when he finished it in 2013. He was spending most of his non-lecture time in bed at that point.
He moved back to Hamilton and, to keep positive, studied for a graduate diploma in earth science and kept up hobbies, such as guitar making.
"I always felt like I was in limbo - couldn't fully get into something," he said.
He made the transplant waiting list when he was on the verge of needing dialysis, and Suzanne and husband Nick were both eager to be donors.
Suzanne proved the more compatible, an idea Chris found hard.
"All I could think of was something would go wrong with Mum and it'd just be terrible."
But Suzanne, who'd had "every test you can imagine", didn't have any doubts.
"It was a feeling of relief ... We've got the all clear. Huge relief. I think I felt proud, but it's more than proud. I needed to do it, I wanted to do it," she said.
"You can liken it to the day you get married or the day you have a child."
Her mission to get to optimum health began, and when doctors labelled her donation a super kidney, she felt her efforts and the support of Curves had paid off.
Recovery is well under way. Suzanne has been cleared to go back to the gym and, according to Chris, "things are pretty damn good."
He has gained about a kilogram and is now healthy enough to take up a job as an anaesthetic technician trainee in the North Shore.
"[It's] pretty much my dream job."
He's grateful to live in New Zealand, too, saying in America, the treatment might have required remortgaging the house.
Curves Chartwell owner Pamela Lansdown said significant change for Suzanne happened over the past year.
"Once she realised she was compatible [as a donor], that was her whole focus."
It's the second year running that Chartwell has had the Curvette of the Year - Michelle Greenwood won the title in 2014.
Written by Libby Wilson. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
Related links:
Grandmother retires after 52 years walking kids to school
9-year-old raises $100,000 for sick kids
Wonderful moment newborn twins meet for the first time