Katrina Vernon and her husband from Weymouth were told they would not be able to have children after her kidneys failed in 2012, but 14 February marks a year since the news of her second pregnancy.

After an array of health difficulties in her teens and early twenties, Katrina had to leave university and work, including her job in the police. Later, while working at an art gallery in Windsor, Katrina was sent home ill – little did she know her condition was about to get a lot worse.

During a drive from her family home in Henley to Luton, where she was living at the time, it soon became apparent that her kidneys had failed completely and she would have to go on dialysis at the age of just 26.

In what seemed like a change of luck some weeks later, the dialysis had increased Katrina’s kidney function to 30%. She was able to move to Weymouth, go on holiday again and she trained in education and worked at Weymouth College, but she was told she would not be able to have children.

Shortly after Christmas in 2014, the function of her kidneys plummeted once again and she was back on dialysis until they could find a donor. For Katrina, donation from a member of her family was not an option as she was adopted at the age of eight.

It was a long wait, but a phone call in 2016 gave her a second chance to live a normal life. In the September of that year, she had a kidney transplant in Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Waking up after the surgery Katrina said: “Even though I was in pain, I felt like a million dollars… I had forgotten what it was like to be well.”

While still recovering, Katrina was desperate to be a mum and being adopted herself only intensified her wanting to have children. Despite the risks, she had her baby girl Phoebe on 14 December 2018. Complications meant that she stayed in hospital for 10 days so she and her husband Sam were able to take Phoebe home on Christmas Eve.

Katrina was very open about her struggle with survivor’s guilt, especially throughout the lockdown periods. As someone at high risk, she was advised to be very careful during the pandemic.

After her transplant, Katrina said: “I pledged that I would live my life in honour on my donor.” Staying inside made her feel like she was “robbed of the second chance.”

On Valentine’s Day last year, Katrina found out she was expecting her second baby girl, Selena. There were more complications at birth and a long stay in the NICU, but they now have the family they could have only dreamed of 10 years ago.

Katrina said that transplants are “a gift not a guarantee.” She is incredibly grateful to the family of the deceased donor who gave her a life at such a difficult time. Now, Katrina raises awareness for organ donation, celebrates every small occasion with her family and even hopes to open her own Christmas shop.