Keeleigh John, 28, who received a liver and kidney transplant at age 12, is now 14 weeks pregnant and credits her donor's family for making it possible. Doctors had previously warned she was unlikely to have children; she learned of the pregnancy after recovering from four bouts of sepsis. Keeleigh is an active organ-donation campaigner and transplant athlete, and her story comes as the UK records a 9% drop in deceased donations and a record transplant waiting list.
Transplant Survivor, 28, Now 14 Weeks Pregnant — Credits Donor Family for ‘Second Chance’
Keeleigh John was told she might not be able to have children [Keeleigh John]
Keeleigh John, 28, who received a life-saving double organ transplant at age 12, is now 14 weeks pregnant and says she owes her chance to become a mother to the family of her donor. Diagnosed with chronic renal failure as a child, Keeleigh underwent a combined liver and kidney transplant that transformed a prognosis once measured in years into a full life.
Keeleigh and her partner Sam Longman are looking forward to the arrival of their baby [Keeleigh John]
From Long Odds To New Life
Keeleigh was warned by doctors that having children was unlikely. After suffering four bouts of sepsis earlier this year, she discovered she was pregnant on the day she returned home from hospital. "We're at the 14-week point now. Baby looks healthy, I'm doing really well," she said, adding that medical tests suggest it is "almost impossible" for her condition to be passed to the baby.
Keeleigh's mother, Tracy John, said doctors had warned the family her daughter was unlikely to have children [Keeleigh John]
"Not only would my life not have been possible, but also now I'm creating a life which also wouldn't have been possible," Keeleigh said, paying tribute to the donor family who made the transplant possible.
Family, Sport And Advocacy
Keeleigh’s mother, Tracy John, recalls bleak predictions for her daughter's survival: "We were told we'd be lucky to see her survive to eight, and then it was to 12. Then she received a transplant and now she's flying all over the world and having her own children." Keeleigh and her partner, Sam Longman, are preparing for the baby's arrival with gratitude to the donor family.
Keeleigh hopes to be selected for the 2027 World Transplant Games in Belgium [Keeleigh John]
Outside family life, Keeleigh is an active organ-donation campaigner and a successful transplant athlete. She has won gold medals at the British Transplant Games and in international events in shot put, archery and discus, and is awaiting news of selection for the 2027 World Transplant Games in Belgium.
National Context: Donation Rates And Waiting Lists
Keeleigh has urged people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register: "If you are prepared to accept an organ, you should be prepared to donate one." Her story comes as NHS Blood and Transplant reports a 9% year-on-year fall in deceased donation rates and a record-high transplant waiting list. The NHS has launched an "urgent response plan" to address the decline in organ donations.
Keeleigh and her family say they remain deeply grateful to the donor family for giving her a second chance at life and now the opportunity to become a mother.
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