A kidney transplant as a toddler led me to find love of my life

Survivor married sister of fellow organ op pal

- BY LUCY LAING

George Mortlock always knew that the kidney transplant he had as a baby gave him a second chance at life.

However, he never imagined it would also give him a best friend, a wife and a baby daughter, too.

He started competing in the British Transplant Games when he was seven, attending almost all of the annual events after that.

And he made a lifelong friend in Matthew Bell, a fellow competitor and kidney transplant recipient.

Matthew's sister, Olivia, came along to cheer her brother on, then she and George ended up falling in love and are now proud parents to little Lily.

George, 29, who works in construction, says: “When I first met Matthew when we were about 15, we became firm friends and I would see Olivia there, who had come to support him.

“We started talking, too, and really hit it off, and the three of us would hang around together. I'd look forward to seeing both Matt and Olivia at the games each year and we became firm friends.

“When Olivia and I got together, I never imagined that I'd be a father, and Lily's arrival has just been the icing on the cake for me. I never imagined that having a kidney transplant would lead me to find love and be a dad, too. It’s amazing.”