THE young family of a Stourport dad-of-three in desperate need of a life-saving kidney transplant have launched an emotional appeal to find a living donor.

Graham Oliver, 31, of Anchor Road, says his life has been made a "nightmare" since his kidneys failed in 2013, which forced him to start dialysis treatment the following year.

His visits to Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre are vital in preventing waste from building up in the body, but can only partially compensate for the loss of kidney function.

As a result, dialysis patients can suffer fatal consequences without a transplant.

Yet Mr Oliver has been told it may take up to 15 years on the waiting list before a blood type O match is available, leading his wife Kayleigh, 27, to launch an urgent online appeal.

He said: "Living with this is huge. It is an absolute nightmare.

"I did not think it was that big of a deal at first.

"I thought it was just going to be like having a cold, but when I have had my dialysis three times a week I never want to do anything as it takes it out of you.

"It is not just affecting me, it is putting pressure on my wife and on our children.

"We go through it as a family but this appeal is so important to us all."

Mr Oliver, who has twice had eye surgery for cataracts and also wears a hearing aid after losing his hearing aged five, inherited his kidney disease from his mother.

He was diagnosed with the rare kidney disease alport syndrome at just 18 months old.

To undergo dialysis, Mr Oliver – who is dad to Callum, nine, Jessica, six, and two-year-old Ellie-Mae – had surgery in October 2014 to fit a peritoneal catheter.

He was then admitted to hospital on his 31st birthday in May to begin emergency heamodialysis, which fitted a central line into his chest.

He said: "It is something I have always known was going to happen as I have been examined all the way up from my childhood. It is just a case of getting on with it.

"I get affected even by going to the park. If the children want to stay an extra hour and my body doesn’t feel like it, I’ll put myself through the pain barrier as they are only young once.

"I know it is not their fault and every hour with them is special."

He appealed for a donor within his family but his mum Angela, 62 cannot donate, while his dad Gordon, 63, is too old and his brother Mark, 44, has diabetes.

His wife Kayleigh is a blood match but as their daughter Jessica has also been passed the gene, they are reserving her kidney for when she requires a transplant.

Mr Oliver added: "A living donor is a big commitment.

"It is not a small thing to ask somebody to do but it is a big thing at the same time.

"Hopefully people understand that you can donate a kidney and still carry on as normal.

"I would just say a big thank you to anyone who could help."

Anyone who can help can contact Kayleigh via searching ‘Help Find Graham A Kidney’ on Facebook.