Father gives gift of life to sick son

On Thursday Mr Reddan will become a living donor and give one of his kidneys to his son Caiden, 12, who was diagnosed with minimal function in both kidneys almost two years ago.

For the last 12 months, in the lead-up to what is a major surgery for both father and son, Mr Reddan has been hitting the gym at 5.30am every morning.

“I just wanted to be at the peak of my fitness for me and for Caiden,” he said.

“I’m just doing what any parent would do to improve the life of their child.”

For Caiden’s mother Vicki, dialysis at such a young age was not an option she and her husband were ready to consider.

“Andrew and I were both a match for Caiden, but I was considered to be in a high risk category because of the history of diabetes in my family,” she said.

The Reddans are thankful they picked up Caiden’s kidney dysfunction in its early stages.

“The doctors have told me that because he was such a good eater and then suddenly became a very fussy eater, and I had noticed how much he was drinking because of the glasses he would have at the side of his bed, it was fortunate in a way we got this so early,” Mrs Reddan said.

Following diagnosis, doctors attributed a recessive gene to the kidney function problems Caiden was experiencing.

Today Caiden and his dad will undergo pre-surgery testing, Caiden in Westmead Children’s Hospital’s renal unit and Mr Reddan in Westmead Hospital.

The Reddans are no strangers to the concept of organ donation.

“We know Shelley and Greg Delaney who lost their son Kaden and donated his organs,” Mrs Reddan said.

“In fact, our Caiden is named after their son, because I liked the name so much, although we’ve spelt it differently.

“I asked Shelley at the time, and she didn’t mind us naming our son Caiden.”

The Reddans have some challenging weeks ahead.

“We have to stay in Sydney for several weeks because of the anti-rejection medication,” Mrs Reddan said.

“And while we are looking at improving the life of our son, we have a situation where the doctors say we are taking someone who is very well and effectively making them unwell for a while.”

However, they are optomistic about improving life for their son.

“I have to say this experience has changed my whole outlook on life and what’s important,” Mr Reddan said.

“I have never worked so hard to get myself in good condition as I have for this operation.”

The family, who describe themselves as hockey tragics, say they are looking forward to being a part of this season’s competition.

“I have a goal to go on with my refereeing and we want to get Caiden back to his position as centre forward for Confederates,” Mr Reddan said.

The Reddans say the kidney problem has not developed in their other sons Keegan, 19 and Kynan, 13.