Ian Alexander, 35, was three years old when he first experienced kidney problems and was later told he would need a transplant at some point in his lifetime.
After his condition deteriorated he began dialysis at the age of 27 and went through many years of it.
Ian Alexander, a 35-year-old father who underwent a life-changing kidney transplant, explains why he is honouring his donor’s memory by continuing her love of football.
He finally had a transplant in November 2019 at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow – two days after discovering that he was going to become a father.
Mr Alexander said: “That was a pretty hectic weekend because we just found out we were having a little boy on the Saturday, the transplant was essentially then on the Monday. So it was a hectic time.”
He said he has had a new lease of life since the kidney transplant, which came after two initial offers turned out not to be viable.
He said: “If you asked me back then how are you, I would have told you I was fine because it was the norm and as my kidney function declined, I just got on with it, it was the norm for me.
“But you look back on it now, especially looking at pictures and memories that pop up on Facebook, you can see just how unwell I was.
“But now I’m back playing football. I’ve got my kids to football four nights a week, I’ve now been married for nearly six months. So many things have happened thanks to me getting my transplant.”
After undergoing the transplant, Mr Alexander and the donor’s family made contact with each other, and he learned she had been a 32-year-old woman who loved football.
Ian’s jersey bears the message ‘Forever 32’ (PA)
Mr Alexander, who has two sons aged four and six, had been unable to play because of his chronic kidney disease and took up the sport again as a way of honouring her memory.
He now plays with the Scottish Transplant Football Team with the message “Forever 32” on his jersey, paying tribute to his donor every time he is on the pitch.
He said: “We love playing the game, but at the end of the day, when we take to that park the thing we’re doing it for is for our donors, whether that’s someone that can be there watching us, or whether that’s someone that’s sadly passed.”
The father-of-two, who is the goalie, also helps organise the team and has been involved since it started in 2024.
On September 27 they will play their first friendly match of the new season, playing against Sands United, a team of fathers who have lost babies.
Mr Alexander, who lives in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, shared his story to mark the start of Organ Donation Week, which runs from September 21-27.
He is now urging other people to think about organ donation and discuss it with their loved ones.
He said: “I think it’s a very important conversation to have. If you want to donate your organs when anything happens then yes, please have that conversation.
“Please have that conversation. And if someone does come and have that conversation with you, please honour their decision.
“They can say yes I want to but at the end of the day, when that part comes, you still need to honour it in the hospital.
“So I would ask yes, please, because you never know who’s going to be waiting on a transplant.”
The Scottish Government’s ‘Don’t leave your loved ones in doubt’ campaign is urging people to record their choice on the NHS Organ Donor Register and ensure those closest to them are aware.
People in Scotland aged 16 and over can choose to be a donor, or to opt out.
If someone does not record a decision, it may be assumed that they agree to become a donor if they die in circumstances where donation is possible, unless they are part of an excluded group or if donation would be against their beliefs.
More information can be found at www.organdonation.scot and more information about Organ Donation Week and laws elsewhere in the UK can be found at www.organdonation.nhs.uk/get-involved/organ-donation-campaigns/organ-donation-week/