Mum had to save woman's life after she thought puffy face was hay fever

A trainee solicitor put her 'puffy' face down to hay fever for years - only to need her mum to save her life by giving her a kidney. Ellen Swarbrick first noticed she was waking up with a swollen face in spring 2022, but put it down to the common condition.

The 28-year-old moved to London in September 2023 to begin a solicitor training course and started taking up to two antihistamines a day to try to reduce her face swelling. She also struggled to get out of bed when her alarm went off, but thought she was just being 'lazy' and that she was tired from her new job.

On a work trip in July 2024 Ellen noticed her ankles had swollen up, but assumed this was due to sitting down in the heat all day. Looking back now, she

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