Assembly line employee Jack Gallacher is back at work building JCB diggers alongside his dad after receiving the ultimate fatherly gift.....a kidney transplant that has transformed his life.

The pair have returned to JCB’s Earthmovers factory in Cheadle less than three months after Jack underwent major surgery to transplant a kidney donated by his dad Steve, 51. And as the father-and-son joined fellow employees for the first time Jack hailed his dad “a lifesaver”.

Jack went into chronic renal failure last November and had to undergo daily dialysis in hospital – until his dad was identified as a suitable kidney donor enabling a transplant to take place four days before Christmas.

Jack, 21, said: “Life is back to normal. I feel great and just have to go to a clinic every fortnight. My dad has been a real lifesaver and I’m really chuffed he did this for me. JCB have also been really supportive and great.”

Now Jack and Steve are urging more members of the public to carry donor cards after the success of their own operations and as a thank you to the support from the Kidney Donor Association through their own traumatic experience.

Steve, a Senior Group Leader at JCB Earthmovers, said: “It just goes to show what a terrific job these people do under such difficult constraints. It is only when you have direct dealings with transplantation that you realise how poorly supported the organ donor programme is.”

Jack’s kidney problem was discovered two and a half years ago when he underwent a routine medical after joining JCB. His condition was stabilised with medication but it worsened dramatically after he returned from a holiday in Greece last summer. Overnight dialysis at home meant he could continue working during the day but, by November, he had to stop to get daytime hospital dialysis instead.

Steve, of Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, had been tested for kidney compatibility by then and quickly decided he would donate. Transplant organisers at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire organised what has become the quickest transplant the county has seen and surgery took place at in Birmingham four days before Christmas.

Steve added: “Any father would do this for their son – I’m just pleased to have given him back a quality of life. JCB have also been fantastic – I can’t praise the company enough for their support throughout this process. My colleagues even split my job between them while I was off and you can’t ask for better support from workmates than that.”

Robert Owen, General Manager of JCB Earthmovers, said: "Everyone is delighted to see Steve and Jack back at work; they've been through such a lot and it's fantastic to see them looking so well and contributing to the business."

Senior Group Leader Kevin Minor, aged 47, took on most of Steve’s work. “I’ve worked alongside Steve for years and we’re good friends. Helping cover his job was the least I could do – I know he’d do exactly the same for me.”

Steve and Jack have nothing but praise for the transplant teams in Stoke on Trent and Birmingham. Steve is particularly thankful to Annette Oliver, the Kidney Transplant Co-ordinator at the University Hospital. “She was fantastic, even to the extent of driving results to Birmingham.”

Figures from the Kidney Donor Association show 95 per cent of people would accept an organ to improve their lives but only 25 per cent of people carry donor cards while more than 8,000 people are currently waiting for a transplant.

Caption: Thanks dad.....Jack Gallacher, 21, back at work at JCB after receiving a kidney from his dad Steve, 51. The pair are pictured with Annette Oliver, the Kidney Transplant Co-ordinator at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.