'A new kidney would give me the freedom to live'

Sitting next to a kidney dialysis machine in a hospital side room, Hafsa Begum says her life has become about "surviving, not living".

The 45-year-old nurse, from Bradford, has been on dialysis three times a week for the last two years after both kidneys failed.

Now, the mother of three is calling for more people to register their organ donation wishes, in the hope other patients like her can "live life again".

New figures show there are 198 people waiting for life-saving organ transplants in Bradford and that six people died in the last year before a donor could be found.

In May 2023, Begum first became seriously unwell after developing blood in her urine, pain in her sides and heart palpitations.

She spent two months in hospital undergoing tests as her kidney function continued to decline.

On her left side, Begum was diagnosed with renal vein thrombosis, where clots block blood draining from the kidney.

On her right side, she was told it was likely she had IgA nephropathy, where a protein gets trapped in the filters of the kidneys.

By 2024, both her kidneys had failed, and she became dependent on haemodialysis to carry on living.

"The main priority is trying to survive through this artificial kidney," she says.

"I come three times a week and my life is around my treatment. You can't live life like you used to.

"Previously, I would do spontaneous trips and family events - but I'm not able to do this at this moment due to my treatment coming first."

Latest figures from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) show there are 198 adults and children waiting for a life-saving organ transplant in Bradford.

In the 12 months leading up to April 2026, six patients died on the transplant list.

During the same period, 43 lives were saved, including 29 patients who received kidneys and 11 who were given a liver.

Dr Tarun Bansal, a kidney specialist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says there is a particular need for more donors in Bradford because of its "sub-ethnic population", which has a "high incidence" of diabetes and hypertension.

"We have a very high incidence of end-stage kidney disease, so more requirement of dialysis or transplantation," he says.

"That is a specific issue in Bradford because organ donation is not as high as we would like it to be.

"There are some beliefs, some ethnic beliefs, some religious beliefs, but we speak to community leaders, and we try to increase the donations."

All the major religions and belief systems in the UK are "open to the principles" of organ donation and transplantation and "accept that organ donation is an individual choice", according to the NHSBT website.

In England there is an "opt-out" system for organ donation, which is also known as "deemed consent".

The system was introduced in May 2020 and assumes a person agrees to organ donation when they die if they are over 18, have not opted out, and are not part of an excluded group.

However, each year hundreds of opportunities for transplants are missed because families "aren't sure what to do", according to NHSBT.

Dr Dave Burtle, clinical lead for organ donation at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, says: "Someone will die today waiting for an organ transplant this year.

"The UK transplant waiting list has reached its highest levels ever with around 8,300 people waiting for a lifesaving transplant and here in Bradford the numbers waiting for an organ donation remain as tragically high as ever.

"One organ donor has the potential to save or transform up to nine lives through organ donation and enhance even more lives through tissue donation, with specific organs like kidneys, livers, lungs, heart, pancreas, and bowel being transplanted to recipients, saving many people from waiting lists."

Throughout her treatment, Begum holds the tubes carrying her blood to and from the dialysis machine to help keep her hands warm.

"My treatment comes first before I do anything and it's my only way of survival," she says.

"But a transplant would give me that hope to live life back again.

"It would give me so much freedom – freedom to live."

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