Brothers in kidney transplant

3:37pm Saturday 8th March 2008

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RUNNING one of Winchester's top restaurants is tough, but one owner has faced a bigger challenge.

Carl Reeve is the proprietor of the Old Chesil Rectory in Chesil Street and for many years he battled polycystic kidney disease, a potentially fatal genetic condition.

It leads to cysts forming in the kidneys, which weakens them until they fail. By this point, only dialysis or a transplant can keep the patient alive.

Mr Reeve, 47, from Fareham, discovered more than 20 years ago that he had inherited the disease from his mother, Jean, who died from kidney failure in 1993.

The condition is passed from one generation to the next in around 50 per cent of cases.

The statistic was borne out with Mr Reeve, as his elder brother was spared the disease.

As the years passed, Mr Reeve's kidneys deteriorated until dialysis or surgery were the only options.

"I had reached the end, and was at the stage when I really wasn't going to get any better," he added.

He was referred to doctors at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, and the search began for a donor when his 51-year-old brother, Graham, from Lyndhurst, stepped forward.

The transplant was performed in November 2007, and the siblings spent one week at the hospital.

Both now are recovered fully, and Mr Reeve has thanked his elder brother.

"It's unbelievable, and he's given me a completely new life," he said.

However, lightning has struck twice with Mr Reeve's family.

"I have two children, and we already know that my daughter has the same disease as me."

He added that his daughter might have to rely on her brother for a kidney donation in the future, although it could be avoided if a cure is found.

To assist with research, Mr Reeve hopes to collect money for the Wessex Renal and Transplant Research Fund.

He invited around 35 people to a fund-raising dinner at his restaurant on Tuesday, March 4, which generated £2,050.

The guests included consultant kidney specialist, Alison Hughes, and consultant surgeon, Paul Gibbs, who helped to conduct the transplant.

* Send an e-mail to Mr Reeve at info@chesilrectory.co.uk for more details about the campaign.