Man loses 30 stone to receive new kidney

Lying in a hospital bed, Ioan Pollard weighed 45 stone (286kg), his kidney was failing and he did not know if he would even survive the night.

Aged 27 at the time, he needed a transplant but was ineligible for the waiting list due to his weight.

"I really pushed myself as far as I could in terms of how much my body could take," said Ioan.

"The hospital staff told me the next eight hours were critical and I may not be here in the morning."

A new S4C documentary will follow the journalist after he lost 30 stone in order to receive a new kidney and with it, a new life.

A month after his 27th birthday, Ioan almost lost his life.

He had scratches on his leg which had turned septic.

"It was immediately obvious that my kidneys had been severely damaged," said Ioan, who lives in Caernarfon, Gwynedd.

"They told me that things didn't look good and that we needed to start talking about dialysis.

"The size and weight of my body meant I had no chance of getting a transplant. The truth is, I was far too fat."

It was a huge concern for friends and family, especially his mother.

"We were worried about his health. I thought he was going to eat himself to the grave," said Eleri Pollard.

Looking back through his clothes from a period where they had be bought from specialist shops, his waist had reached 72 inches.

"I had no self control," said Ioan, who is S4C's digital news editor.

"Food controlled everything I did and how I lived my life.

"At the time I didn't accept that I was addicted to food and was overeating but, looking back, I obviously was."

He added: "I could be here all day blaming this and that for the situation I was in, but it simply comes down to two things - I was too greedy and too lazy.

"When I look back, I feel embarrassed that I had chosen to live my life like that. It's only now that I realise what I'd done to myself and my body."

In a period of seven years, with the help of bariatric operations to reduce his stomach and remove skin, he lost more than half his weight - 30 stones (191kg) - he was eligible for a transplant.

It was discovered that his mother was a match and could donate one of her kidneys to her son.

"I want Ioan to live his life, he deserves it," she said.

Ioan, now 35, now hopes for a healthier future.

"I've been through so much. I just want this to work without any problems," he said.

"It's natural to worry more about mam than myself because mam is putting herself in a vulnerable position to try to improve my life. It all depends on this now."

Marw Isio Byw, Monday 24 March at 20:00 on S4C