Woman donated kidney to ex-partner in Melbourne

WOULD you give a kidney to your ex-partner? This Melbourne couple found they were a perfect match on the operating table, just not in real life.

Georgie Smith and Kenny Sincock, who owes his life to her donated kidney. Picture: Nicole Cleary

FOR more than a decade, Georgie Smith gave Kenny ­Sincock her heart — and now she’s replaced it with a kidney.

Despite breaking up 18 months ago, Georgie last week gave her ex the vital organ he needed to save his life after doctors found they were a perfect match, at least for a transplant.

“You might fall out of love, but you still care very much and I just want him to get well again,” she said.

“I am excited for Kenny and that is what this is all about. I am just relieved it is over and so pleased for him.”

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Midway through their 13-year relationship, the couple were holidaying in Thailand in 2010 when the extremely fit Kenny suddenly felt unwell during a run.

After returning to Melbourne, a medical check ­revealed he had suffered a heart attack.

Even more seriously, the attack was caused because his kidneys were shutting down from an unknown condition that has seen him surviving on dialysis and unable to walk more than about 100m for the last three years.

Kenny was placed on the waiting list for a deceased organ transplant, but stubbornly refused to consider a live kidney donor to avoid putting his nearest and dearest through the impact of a transplant.

But amid their own breakup, Georgie continued to push him to at least investigate a live donor in desperation at seeing him ­deteriorate.

Georgie Smith and Kenny Sincock. Picture: Nicole Cleary

“She kept insisting that she wanted to be a donor. I didn’t want to take one from a living donor but, she kept insisting,” he said.

“I thought we could go through the testing and then when we’re not a match she would back off and still be able to put her mind at rest.

“It turned out we were a match — and then my dialysis stopped working so I didn’t have much choice.”

During a 12-month testing process it was revealed Kenny was not only a match for Georgie, but he also had a rare antibody that meant he never would have been suited to a deceased transplant.

When his condition worsened three months ago and dialysis treatment began failing, Georgie became his only chance for survival.

Last Monday surgeons at The Alfred made the most of that rare chance and just a week later Kenny is already walking 1.6km a day.

“Now is the best I have felt for three years,” he said.

“Not many people believe it, but we were always destined to be good friends ­because we didn’t have a horrible breakup and were never nasty to each other. We ­always had respect for each other,” he added.

According to DonateLife, Georgie was one of 271 people who selflessly donated a kidney to save a loved one’s life in the last year.

Another 832 kidneys were transplanted from deceased donors across Australia.

But with more than 1000 Australians on the kidney waiting list, and a further 12,000 on dialysis, Donate Life is urging families to discuss donation and consider registering as a potential lifesaver at donatelife.gov.au

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