A MOTHER who is waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant has spoken of her pride after her nine-year-old daughter decided to become an organ donor.

Nicola Carroll, 30, from Burnley, was diagnosed with kidney failure two years ago and said her daughter Olivia-Julie ‘had been her rock’ ever since.

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And not only did Olivia-Julie start raising money for those awaiting kidney transplants, she also decided to become a donor because ‘without people signing Continued n2 up there would be no one to save her mummy’.

Mrs Carroll said: “Olivia-Julie is an inspiration to me. I was so emotional when she told me she wanted to join the donor list.

“It made me cry that my girl of nine-years-old was thinking about this.

“When I asked her why she said she wanted to save people who needed an organ when she had gone and said without people signing there be no one to save her mummy.”

Mrs Carroll, who is a training to become a teacher, said she was first diagnosed with stage four kidney failure when she was pregnant with Olivia-Julie but said the most important thing was that her little girl was okay.

She said: “I was gutted and heartbroken but most importantly I was worried about my baby.

“After close monitoring my baby girl was born on the June 30, 2006, weighing five pounds.

“She was so beautiful and thankfully had no health problems. Life was good.

“I attended regular renal check ups and although things weren’t brilliant with my health there were people worse off than me and was grateful for what I had.

“In the spring of 2014 I began to feel unwell and doctors made the decision I needed life-saving dialysis.

“I was angry and upset but again my main worry was Olivia-Julie. But I needn’t have worried Olivia-Julie was amazing, looking after me, comforting me when I felt low and even helping me dress when I felt poorly and couldn’t do it myself.”

Mrs Carroll, of Mitella Street, started having dialysis three times a week for four hours, and although she said the treatment is hard she said her daughter gives her a reason and helps her stay positive.

Although she said she tried to keep her daughter away from hospital, she insisted on going to see the transplant doctor at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Whilst there they met a fellow kidney transplant patient Sarah-May who is a co-ordinator for the Kidneys For Life, which supports research into kidney disease, transplantation and dialysis.

Mrs Carroll said: “Olivia-Julie spoke straight away on how she wanted to help people and raise money. I was amazed and proud. She was only seven-year-old then.

“After getting home she started with her plan making loom band bracelet and selling them to anyone she could, then she spoke to school and did a bake sale we helped out at other charity events, such as a charity football match, a sky dive which my brother-in-law Jonathan did and a zip wire event that her dad Neil did.

“She had raised more than £700 so far and is planning to do more events to raise more money and awareness.”

Mrs Carroll said that earlier this year her daughter, who attends Brunshaw Primary School, spoke to her about registering to go on the organ donor list after reading an article online.

Although reluctant at first, she helped Olivia-Julie sign up. She said the NHS organ donation page posted her daughter’s picture on Facebook and it received more than 1,000 likes.

She added: “Olivia-Julie now carries her card with pride and continues to make me proud. It does worry me what it may actually mean, but I’m hoping it never comes to that.

“I just hope that by getting our story out there it leads to at least one extra person signing up to be an organ donor.”