Laura Moon, 18, from Whinmoor in Leeds, has four kidneys. All of them are functional and growing naturally. She is willing to donate the surplus to patients who are in need of a transplant.
Laura became aware of her 'unusual anatomy' six months ago when she went to have an ultrasound scan at the Seacroft Hospital in her hometown of Leeds. The ultrasound scan was to investigate stomach pains following a road accident.'I realized that the doctor scanning me hadn't said anything for a long time. I thought he was going to give me bad news,' said Ms Moon. 'But then he said: 'You've got four kidneys.'
Two of Ms. Moon’s kidneys measure 14cm and the other two are 9cm. The doctors who treated her, asked for her permission to take photos to show them to University students.
Three-year-old Luke Heppenstall, a Leeds resident, urgently needs a new kidney after both of his were removed because of cancer. Laura Moon who heard about Luke is ready to step in to help the kid.
'I'm not exactly sure how [organ] donations work, but I do know that I have four kidneys and that I would like to help someone like Luke if possible,' she said.
Consultant urological surgeon Dr Robyn Webber, of Fife Acute Hospitals said, 'It is a relatively rare condition. Ordinarily they are left alone unless the patient is suffering any problems. But Laura will be able to manage perfectly well with two, so assuming they are working correctly there is no reason why she shouldn't donate them.'
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The reason why people develop multiple, or duplex organs is not yet known, but one in 125 people have one extra kidney, normally a partial organ. Only a handful of people in the UK have four kidneys, although having three is relatively common. But Laura's case is the rarest of the rare because all of her four kidneys are fully formed and functional.
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THILAKA RAVI/L
