A MAN who is donating his kidney to a nine-year-old boy has described the opportunity to do so as “life-affirming”, and he is grateful for having the opportunity to help somebody who needs it.

Graham Dodds, a former Chief Inspector for Fermanagh and Omagh, saw the appeal made by Joshua Dolan’s mother in The Impartial Reporter looking for a kidney donor for her son, who only had one kidney, and that was functioning at just 17 per cent.

“It’s thanks to The Impartial that I’m doing this, because I only found out about him [Joshua] and his situation through the paper, and it shows the value of local newspapers,” said Graham.

“If I hadn’t seen it in The Impartial, I wouldn’t have donated, and Joshua would have still been in a bad position.”

Graham had kidney donor tests carried out about four years ago to see if he was an eligible donor for a police colleague, but in the end he did not need to donate.

However, after seeing Joshua’s appeal in this newspaper, he rang the hospital and gave them the authority to check if he would be a suitable candidate for donation.

He said: “When I saw the appeal from Joshua’s mum, I thought, ‘Right, I’ll ring the hospital and offer my help’.

“I’ve spent a lot of my professional career helping the community in Fermanagh and Omagh through policing, and this is no different.

“I’ve been a police officer for 23 years now. You just have that instinct to want to help people.”

It was good news, and after further tests, it was confirmed that Graham and Joshua were compatible.

The hope is that the procedure can happen in April, and it will only be after it that the pair will meet in person for the first time.

However, they have already met virtually, and Graham was full of praise for the nine-year-old.

“He’s such a lovely, positive young man who has the most awful burden and health difficulty, but you wouldn’t know it. He is just so bright and positive, and [his mother] Mary is the same, and the wider family.”

One connection the pair share is Joshua’s interest in the police, so when the operation is complete, Graham is going to give Joshua his 23-year-old police whistle and a St. Michael’s medallion he has attached to it, as well as a police cap and a pair of handcuffs.

Graham is also looking forward to forming a close bond with Joshua after it all.

“It will be nice to actually meet up in person. It will be strange – by the time we meet, he will have one of my kidneys, and I think that’s fantastic. Hopefully, that will be the start of a long bond and relationship.”

As well as helping to give Joshua a new lease of life, Graham also hopes it will raise awareness for live organ donation, and he is encouraging people to consider this option.

He is also grateful to the PSNI and his family for being so supportive with his decision.

“My wife said, ‘If it was one of our kids, she would hope somebody would do the same’,” added Graham.

And, as for Graham and Joshua, when the whole process is over, it will allo be well worth it.

Graham said: “This a clear-cut opportunity for one human being to help another, and I’m really pleased, particularly that it’s a young fella who has his life ahead of him.

“I’m in a unique position where everything is aligned, and I genuinely feel it’s the right thing to do, and I’m getting a real buzz out of being able to help such a lovely fella.”