Walking football led to life-saving kidney match

John Blake and Paul Nettleton are both members of Bournemouth Walking Football Club and share a powerful bond.

It comes from a tragic loss for Paul's family in 2025, when his son died.

He and his wife were left with the unimaginable decision of whether they wanted to donate his organs.

Remembering that Paul's teammate John had suffered with chronic kidney disease, they asked if it would be possible to nominate him.

Despite doctors warning the odds were "two million to one", their son's kidney turned out to be a match.

Now, more than a year later, Paul and John's football club is fundraising for Kidney Care UK.

John's life with chronic kidney disease spans back more than 20 years, and in 2021 his consultant told him he would need a transplant by the time he was 70.

The 69-year-old had been on the waitlist, but was yet to find a suitable match.

Then, in the hours after losing their son, Paul and his wife Andrea decided they would donate his organs.

"Andrea and I just took one look at each other and straight back and said 'yes'. We had no hesitation in it whatsoever," Paul said.

They asked whether they could nominate John, which is not the normal process for organ donation. Even then, it would need to be a match.

And, defying the odds, he was able to have the transplant.

"It's such a humble experience that in their hour of desperation they thought of me and I'll never forget that," John said.

Paul said: "For it to actually work, that their match was as near perfect as it could be, that was a phenomenal thing."

In the UK, the NHS offers a confidential organ register to allow people to either opt in or out to donating their organs after death.

When someone has not registered, nurses will consult family members.

Paul urges people to consider saying "yes", despite the immense difficulty of that decision while grieving.

He said: "It's very easy to feel that you're taking something away of their being.

"In that respect, I can appreciate that people feel uncomfortable with that and will say no.

"In the long run, you're going to feel happier that you have made changes to people's lives down the line."

Now, 14 months on from John's kidney transplant, Bournemouth Walking Football Club at Littledown is running a fundraiser for Kidney Care UK.

It will take place on 6 September, with 12 teams involved.

John said: "They're [Kidney Care UK] very supportive and they do make you realise that you're not alone.

"There's a lot of people that are suffering from this silent killer."

By running the event, John also hopes to raise awareness of the symtoms of Kidney Disease. Often, it only presents symptoms at a later stage, meaning it can go unnoticed for years.

Symptoms can include:

• Weight loss and poor appetite

• Swollen ankles, feet or hands

• Blood in your urine

• Itchy skin

• Muscle cramps

John said: "Every morning I put my hands on to the kidney and I thank him [Paul's son] for getting me through the day.

"It saved my life."