Lockie Learmonth was just 18 months old when he received a kidney from his dad, Calum Learmonth, at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.
He is one of more than 5000 people who have received a kidney transplant from the West of Scotland Transplant Service, who will celebrate this milestone on World Kidney Day (13th March 2025).
For now, one-year-old Lockie lives life with three kidneys while the two he was born with function at less than five per cent. Over time, Lockie will rely on his dad’s kidney to keep him healthy.
Lockie was born in Edinburgh in July 2023 with PUV Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) and stage five kidney failure. When he was born, Lockie went to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Hospital for Children, Edinburgh. He was there for six hours then transferred to the high dependency unit (HDU). This is where his condition was confirmed.
Lockie’s mum, Kelly Shovlin explained: “The next few days, weeks and months were daunting. We were advised that Lockie would need a donor kidney but usually children need to grow before they’re big enough to this.”
Lockie had to undergo a couple of operations before his transplant.
“More recently, he was also given a Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) catheter. He had this for a few months before starting dialysis in February 2024. In between times, he had a couple of in and out hospital admissions because of infections, or suspected infections.”
Calum was the best blood and tissue match out of everyone tested, meaning that he could donate his kidney directly to Lockie. Kelly said:
“The testing had begun last spring which allowed us to do everything gradually. We were able to ensure vaccines were up to date for Calum and Lockie was able to grow big enough to receive the kidney, which I believe was a tight squeeze, but they managed.
“Calum was nervous in the lead up to the transplant, but he was focussing more on the facts and numbers that the doctors were giving him. Calum was pretty set from the start that he wanted to be the one to give Lockie the kidney.”
Calum said:
“Going through Lockie’s health struggles has been the most challenging experience of my life. The emotional rollercoaster took a heavy toll on me mentally. I was overwhelmed with a mix of excitement and fear when I learned I was a match for him. I’m incredibly grateful to have had the chance to share something so beautiful with my son and help save his life.
“In the lead-up to the surgery, my nerves were off the charts, and I found it hard to focus on work. It affected my relationships too, as I started pushing people away. However, after the operation, it felt like a massive weight was lifted. The stress of the past 2-3 years seemed to disappear.
“My recovery was quicker than I expected. While I had to give up certain things, like going to the gym, I’m now five weeks post-surgery and getting back to my life, feeling relatively normal. I would strongly encourage people to consider donating—it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
The transplant took place at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow on the 5th of February 2025.
Kelly admits that after the transplant happened, the family were able to take a breath. They had the stress of waiting to see how Lockie’s body would react to his new kidney but luckily things have gone well so far. She said:
“Since he has had the transplant, he is sleeping better, he is just wild, his speech is coming on well, and we can tell it’s making a difference already. He runs up to the hospital staff and gives them cuddles. He isn’t scared of being here which is a bonus.”
Kelly and Calum are now looking forward, albeit knowing that they have their challenges ahead. She said:
“The first-year post-transplant can be chaotic. There may be a lot more hospital admissions just because Lockie will have a lower threshold with everything.
“Overall, after the first 6 months, he can start nursery and after a year we can travel abroad. We can start swimming once he is fully healed and as long as we’re being sensible. We’ll have some sort of normality with check-ups and things in amongst it all.
“We will forever be grateful to the staff in both Edinburgh and Glasgow for their outstanding care for Lockie. We cannot thank them enough for everything they have done.”
Lockie’s main consultant at the RHC Glasgow was Paediatric Nephrologist, Dr Ben Reynolds.
Due to where Lockie lives, he was also treated by the renal clinic team in Edinburgh who cared for him up until he was four months old and throughout the transplant process.
Ben Said:
“I’m delighted that Lockie is thriving and already demonstrating the benefits of transplant, and that Kelly and Calum are looking forward to the future as a family. The transplant that Lockie received is known as live kidney donation, when one person has their kidney removed and given to another.
“In this scenario Calum and Lockie are related but this doesn’t always need to be the case for a live donation to happen, if a pair meet testing requirements for compatibility.”
Julie Glen, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Team Lead and Living Donor Transplant Coordinator for the West of Scotland Transplant Service said:
“Our service surpassing 5000 kidney transplants is remarkable. Kidneys can come from living donors like Calum or from people who have passed away. To have achieved this great number we have to thank every living donor and every donor family who made the brave decision to allow their loved one to become a donor.
“If people are reading this story and thinking about how they would like to help those in need of a kidney transplant, please follow the link below. You don’t need to know someone directly; you can donate a kidney altruistically through the UK Living Donor Kidney Sharing Scheme where up to three recipients can benefit from one donation.”
For more information on live kidney donation visit:
