A MAN has undergone his second kidney transplant in ten years -- and is now urging others to make sure they carry a donor card.

Patrick Frain, 40, of Dewhurst Close, Darwen, was diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder following a crippling dose of the 'flu when he was 17. Following his second kidney transplant, on February 2, Patrick spoke about his optimism for the future, the importance of becoming a donor and, most importantly, his first chance to swim with five-year-old son Travis.

Patrick, who works for an office furniture store in Darwen, said: "He's a great little swimmer and he'd put me to shame now. He's been swimming three years now. He can swim three lengths without getting tired out."

Thanks to the anonymous donor, Patrick will have a lot more time to spend with his son. He said: "Everyone's got a wallet and money and credit cards, but most don't carry a donor card. I don't even know who gave me my kidneys but I'd just like to thank them and let people know that they have given me a life and a beautiful son and nothing can beat that.

"These people need to be praised because they are so brave and I want their families to know they're amazing." At 17, Patrick was told by surgeons at Manchester Royal Infirmary that a virus had got into his system but might never attack his kidneys.

Patrick carried on as normal but his worst fears were confirmed when his kidneys failed when he was 29.

He said: "I went on dialysis for six months and was really lucky because they found a donor for me after that time. Dialysis is the worst thing because it interrupts your daily life so much.

"I was on it four times a day for forty minutes, hooked up to a drip which contained special chemicals to clear the toxins out of my body. You'd always have to think about when you were going to have to do it again.

"I was still at work the whole time. I've worked as a development manager for GGI Office Furniture for 18 years and they have been great.

"I'd have to go home at lunch to sort myself out and then go back to work."

Two days before Christmas 1992, Patrick had his first transplant. It gave him nine-and-a-half healthy years.

He said: "Nothing can prepare you for that telephone call. I was completely dumbstruck. Some people compare it to winning the lottery but it wasn't like that for me.

"You get scared of the operation and you're afraid of what will happen if it doesn't work.

"But if it wasn't for the first operation, Travis wouldn't be here because dialysis makes you infertile.

"There's never any guarantee that transplants will work but I thank God that I had enough time to have Travis and do all the normal things fathers do with their sons." Patrick became ill again last year and spent another six months on dialysis before a donor was found.

He said: "I became so ill and I knew that the kidneys weren't working. You can't eat or drink. I couldn't believe that another donor was found so quickly, I'm the luckiest man alive."

After this three-and-a-half hour operation Patrick was out of hospital within six days, as opposed to the 11 weeks he spent in there following the first transplant.

He said: "It was a lot harder the second time because I had to think about Travis and my wife Angela, who I married in 1994.

"She has been a tower of strength for me and has been fantastic, I can't thank her enough." Just 11 days after the operation, Patrick is taking strong anti-rejection tablets and making regular trips to the hospital.

Statistics from the National Kidney Research Fund show that 7,072 people are waiting for an organ transplant in UK, 6,308 of which are waiting are for kidneys.

In the North West, 561 patients are currently waiting for a kidney transplant.

To register as a donor or for more information contact 0845 6060400 or visit the website at www.givelife.info to read more about becoming a donor.