An academic from the University of Chester has shared the incredible story of how his twin brother saved his life with the donation of his kidney as part of national Organ Donation Week (September 22 to 28 2025).
Dr Tim Brown, Associate Professor in Chester Business School, received a kidney from his identical twin brother James in 2013. The brothers hope that by sharing their story they will be able to inspire others to join the organ donation scheme.
Eternally grateful to the donor, Tim’s twin brother
Tim said:
I will be eternally grateful to JB as I literally would not be alive without his kidney. As a child I suffered kidney failure resulting in the loss and removal of one of my kidneys, with the other functioning at only 50%. Whilst I managed to lead a normal life the kidney function continued to slowly decline before suddenly starting to fail in the summer of 2012, resulting in the need for an urgent transplant. Fortuitously I had an identical twin, meaning that I had a potential new kidney just waiting for the call.
The NHS transplant team at the Royal Liverpool were incredible. Not only their expertise but also the care and support pre and post-transplant for both JB and I. Words will never be able to express my gratitude to them, or to JB, but I did thank him with some Lego, which seemed a fair swap to me!
Tim urges people to join the organ donation programme to help save lives.
He said:
“It is really important to be a donor and also really easy to do. The NHS has a simple form to complete that takes less than two minutes and can literally save and change lives. There are currently 8,089 people in the UK awaiting a transplant, and since April 2025 1,750 transplants have been successfully completed from a deceased donor. 41% of all organ donations are from living donors of which living donor kidney transplantation accounts for 96% of activity – as was the case with JB and I.”
Tim and James have been sharing their experiences as part of the national NHS campaign for national Organ Donation Week.
Science, timing and the gift of being a twin
James, who is the Director of Engagement, Involvement and Communications for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation NHS Trust, said:
The recovery had its challenges, but seeing Tim regain his strength made every moment worthwhile. Since then, our bond has only deepened. We joke that he owes me one, but truthfully, I feel like I gained more than I gave.
This wasn’t just about being brothers, it was about science, timing, and the incredible gift of being a twin. It was also about the amazing skill and care by so many staff in the NHS and a year after we both competed in the NHS Transplant Games, with Tim picking up a number of medals.
Being on the Organ Register is really important and something we should all consider. You never know when it could help change someone else’s life.
A full and normal life after a transplant
Tim added:
I feel great and thanks to JB I can live a normal and full life. I am also exceptionally lucky as the transplant was from my identical twin and therefore a genetic match. At the time of the transplant, we were informed that we were the 26th pair of identical twins since 1960 to undergo a live organ donation, and the odds of receiving a transplant from an identical twin were higher than winning the lottery! Due to the uniqueness of this experience JB and I were invited to participate in a documentary on the Secret Life of Twins in 2015 which was great as we were able to tell our story and promote the importance of organ donation.
To find out more about how to become an organ donor visit the NHS organ donation website
