LIKE most mothers, Sally Stanzel has enjoyed watching her five children grow up and start their own families. And when she heard her fourth grandchild was on the way she was over the moon.

For it's a day the 54-year-old grandmother from Upton in Poole, didn't think she would live to see after under going two kidney transplants.

Now she is keen to share her story to help raise awareness of National Transplant Week which runs until July 13 to encourage more people to become organ donors.

Sally nearly lost her life 20 years ago when she became unwell with kidney disease and was in a critical condition by the time she was diagnosed.

After a few years on dialysis she was fortunate enough to have a kidney transplant.

“I was lucky because there are people who have to wait much longer. I used to have to drive as far as Yeovil sometimes because the dialysis facilities were not always available locally.”

But when Sally stared to feel unwell again a few years later, doctors thought her body was starting to reject the donated kidney.

She was sent for a scan which revealed she was actually six months pregnant. Six weeks later she gave birth to her son who weighed just 2lbs.

“Thanks to my organ donors I lived to give birth to my son Alex who is now 18 and to be around for my other three grandchildren too. Now I've got a fourth grandchild on the way. Words cannot express just how grateful I am,” says Sally who had her second kidney transplant 12 years ago.

“Most donated kidneys tend to last around ten years, but mine seems to be going strong. But many people don’t realise how important it is to sign up as an organ donor. You can be a live donor too. My three daughters have been tested and are a match. But whether I would take a kidney from them I don't know. But you only need one kidney.”

Sally added: "If just two people read my story and decide to sign up then two more lives will have been changed and it will have been worth it."

PANEL

Just 45 per cent of families agree to organ donation going ahead if they are unaware of their loved one’s decision to be a donor but this figure rises to 95 per cent when they know the decision according to new figures published to mark the start of this year’s National Transplant Week (July 7-13). For more information see transplantweek.co.uk