A MAN dying from an incurable disease has been given a chance to see his children grow up after undergoing a double lung transplant.
Hull father-of-three Alan Wheeldon, 48, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), an incurable lung condition, just weeks before marrying his long-time love, Joanna.
Now, Mr Wheeldon from Bransholme, is recovering at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital after receiving the telephone call to tell him a suitable donor had been found.
Mrs Wheeldon, who has been at her husband's bedside since he underwent the surgery, said: "This is one Christmas present I absolutely love.
"To be honest, I didn't think he was going to make it past Christmas because he was going downhill so fast. This will never be a cure but some people go on for ten or 15 years after a transplant and I see that for Alan as he is a fighter."
Mr Wheeldon found out he was dying from IPF just weeks before the couple got married in 2012.
He had been suffering a persistent cough but he thought it was caused by working in cold temperatures as a supervisor for Howden Joinery.
He went to his GP for tests but doctors delivered the blow that he had a lung condition, which would eventually kill him. After the diagnosis, the couple had a traditional church wedding in Sutton before their family rallied round to pay for their honeymoon in Cyprus.
Mr Wheeldon lost almost 4st, was forced to give up work and got so out of breath, he could only manage one or two mouthfuls of food.
He was on oxygen therapy 24 hours a day, leaving his wife and three children, Courtney, 16, Alan, 14, and Ellie, 13, praying the phone would ring to tell them a suitable transplant donor had been found.
And on December 6, that call finally came and Mr Wheeldon was taken to Newcastle by ambulance with his wife by his side.
He underwent the eight-hour operation the following day and is now in the hospital's critical care unit as he begins his journey back to health.
Speaking from the hospital, Mrs Wheeldon, 37, said: "Alan took the call and they just asked if he was fit and well. When he said he'd just finished a course of antibiotics, they told him they thought they'd found a donor. We both just cried and cried.
"There was so much excitement and dread and then, after about 15 minutes, we went numb because we couldn't quite believe it was happening."
Mrs Wheeldon feared this Christmas would have been their last one together because her husband's health had deteriorated so much in the last few weeks before his transplant.
"It's early days but, even now, there have been times when he's just like he used to be. Within two or three days of the transplant, he was laughing and joking and it was so nice to see the old Alan.
"Because of the illness, he would even struggle to talk and now, he just won't stop talking about anything and everything, but how could I ever mind that? It's absolutely amazing."
Mr Wheeldon is likely to remain in hospital for the next two months so doctors can keep an eye on his recovery.
Mrs Wheeldon, who made an emotional video for YouTube about her husband's battle for life before his transplant, said her thoughts have been with the family of the donor who gave their organs so her husband had a chance of life.
She said: "Some poor family has lost their loved one but I can't thank them enough for being on the donor list.
"People like him or her have given us this special gift and it means everything to us."
