Gapsted's Sophie McKerral given kidney by her father after same gift from grandmother in 2010

But the pair are now even more closely linked with Andrew recently giving up one of his kidneys in her time of need.

Sophie, however, has been down this road before.

When she was just seven years of age, her grandmother and Andrew's mother, Isobel Fulton, donated a kidney after a failure caused by an infection.

Sophie, now 22, has experienced kidney issues since 15 months of age and admits it's all she's ever known, but it hasn't stood in her way.

"I've had a pretty normal childhood growing up and I got to do all the things that I wanted to do. I played sport and enjoyed going out on the biscuit behind the boat," she said.

"I don't think I was very limited to my opportunities or anything."

In March 2021, Sophie was living in Brisbane studying nursing at university when she developed a rare infection in her lungs.

The antibiotics required to kill off the disease would go on to damage her kidney and fast-tracked the need for a second transplant.

"The aim was to pretty much get rid of the lung infection, whether that meant killing off the old kidney or not, and then work towards having my lungs ready to go for a new transplant," she said.

"That was a 12-month course of antibiotics, whilst I was on dialysis. Then I had to wait another six months after I'd finished the antibiotics before they could do another test to see if my lungs were good to go.

"There were five different kinds of antibiotics. They don't use them very often, unless very well needed and all the side effects that you can think of came with them.

"From there, it was probably another six to eight months before I actually had the transplant."

Sophie was on the list for a kidney from a deceased donor, but a live option was preferable, so her parents went through the testing process and Andrew came back as a match.

"It was a good 10 months of building up to it with blood tests and seeing the nephrologist who told me I had to get fitter and lose weight. You've obviously got to have two healthy kidneys," Andrew, 57, said.

"They always target the eldest living blood-related family member. There was no talk of us giving one up the first time.

"I wasn't even thinking I was going to have to give mine up because, I thought it might be (my wife) Dee, but I was compatible.

"There were no reservations. It's what you've got to do."

A donated kidney typically lasts between 8 and 15 years, but there's been cases where they've surpassed 20 years.

Sophie has had a smoother recovery this time around, after she required a two-month stay at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital when her body initially rejected the first transplant.

In fact, she was back on her feet before her father.

"Soph was out of hospital after five or six days and I didn't get out until after eight," Andrew said.

"Because they've been on dialysis and they don't feel that flash anyway, they put a kidney in and that's working and they feel pretty good straight away.

"It's also not as invasive as it is to take it out.

"I can't remember mum being in as much pain after the operation as I was. It was about three months before I was back to normal."

Sophie's grandmother died in 2019, but a part of her will live on inside her.

"They didn't take the old kidney out, so there's still that special memory," she said.

Throughout October, Sophie is raising funds for Kidney Health Australia, an organisation that has provided huge assistance throughout her life, by participating in the Red Socks Run campaign.

The aim is to walk, run or ride for 60 hours, equivalent to the amount of time a kidney patient spends on dialysis each month.

"Kidney Health Australia used to run a kidney camp every year. I met heaps of people who were in the same position as me and I'm still in contact with a lot of them," Sophie said.

"I have a friend from Wodonga who had a transplant back in November and he was kind of my lab rat. I was having mine in March, so I was always messaging him what to expect.

"They have a unit in Brunswick East called Emorgo House and I stayed there after this transplant. Anyone having a kidney transplant or their families or donors can stay for up to six weeks."

"Ronald McDonald House had me in Melbourne for three months after the first transplant as well."

To support Sophie's Renal Runners' fundraising efforts, visit fundraise.kidney.org.au/fundraisers/sophiesrenalrunners or scan the QR code below.

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