Seven years ago, Roxy Morgan's life changed forever when she received the results of a blood test.

The tests showed Roxy, then 23, had kidney disease and her kidneys were working at only 40pc capacity.

Later, in 2018, she found out she had been living with undiagnosed ulcerative colitis – a form of bowel disease which had been misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) when she was a teenager and was the cause of the scarring on her kidneys. 

Roxy, who lives in Mundesley, said: “I was really confused because I was young, fit and healthy.”  

North Norfolk News: Roxy Morgan and her mum Dawn Lightening, who has donated one of her kidneys to her daughterRoxy Morgan and her mum Dawn Lightening, who has donated one of her kidneys to her daughter (Image: Sonya Duncan)Before her diagnosis, she felt fatigued, lost her appetite, and needed to go to the toilet more frequently than usual. 

“I asked my consultant what per cent kidney function I could get to before needing a transplant and we made a decision together that if I dropped to 20pc we would start trying to match up a family member or get a match ready so if I was to drop below 15pc, which is kidney failure, we would do a pre-emptive transplant,” she said.

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In April last year, she dropped to 20pc and her mum, Dawn Lightening, who lives in Sheringham, was a match.

Just two weeks later, Roxy found out she was pregnant and - although the pregnancy was high-risk - she gave birth to her son Hudson in December last year. 

This month, Dawn donated her daughter one of her kidneys. 

North Norfolk News: Roxy Morgan in hospitalRoxy Morgan in hospital (Image: Roxy Morgan)

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“Not everyone would do that for someone,” Roxy said. “A lot of people will say they would, but not many actually would.

“To have the opportunity to not be a sick mum in the future is a gift. All of my family have been so supportive - I wouldn't have been able to get through it without them.

"Every now and then I think it’s worth people getting a blood test and a general health check to prevent these things.

"If my bowel disease was diagnosed maybe I wouldn’t have had kidney disease. It’s about taking responsibility for your own health and making sure that if you don’t feel listened to you keep going back to the GP to be heard."

North Norfolk News: Roxy Morgan and her mum Dawn Lightening, who has donated one of her kidneys to her daughterRoxy Morgan and her mum Dawn Lightening, who has donated one of her kidneys to her daughter (Image: Sonya Duncan)