Man gives his best friend the ultimate Christmas present: 'Means everything'
An Adelaide man has given his best mate the ultimate Christmas gift in a gesture that has changed both their lives forever.
James Cooper, 38, has been battling chronic kidney disease for 10 years which has greatly affected his quality of life, 7News reports.
But his best friend Callum Hull, 31, decided to give him the gift of life over Christmas and donated a kidney.
“Just to feel better and to feel different, no one can see that but just to feel the way I’m feeling, it means everything,” Mr Cooper told 7News.
Mr Cooper called his mate a hero – a title that doesn’t exactly sit comfortably with Mr Hull. He said it’s just what friends do.
“I’d like to leave the heroes in the storybooks and the movie screens,” Mr Hull said.
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Mr Hull told 7News he previously lost a friend to kidney disease, which was his motivation for helping the 38-year-old.
The pair hope their story will encourage others to consider organ donation.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, between 2017-2018 about one per cent of Australians, or 237,000 people, dealt with kidney disease.
The most common cause of chronic kidney disease in Australia is diabetes, according to Healthdirect Australia.
“This is because high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, stopping them from filtering wastes properly,” Healthdirect says.
“About four in 10 cases of chronic kidney disease are caused by diabetes. Chronic kidney disease caused by diabetes is also called diabetic nephropathy.”
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