Mother wins major court battle

Six foot tall and with a sunny smile, William Verden has the same zest for life as every other 17-year-old.

With bags of energy, he loves playing golf, kicking a football, doing odd jobs and is a dab hand at using a jet-washer.
As long as he's busy, active and outdoors, he's happy.

You'd never imagine that he was seriously ill with a rare kidney disease — let alone at the centre of a life-or-death legal battle over his fate.

'He absolutely loves life and has so much to give,' says his devoted mum Amy McLennan. 'He's cheeky, kind, helpful and would do anything for anybody.'

Then, she adds fiercely, 'He deserves the same chance as every other child.'

For last September, William, who has autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities, was handed what Amy describes as a 'death sentence'.

She was devastated when the hospital treating William refused to give him potentially life-saving treatment.

Medical staff feared that, because of his learning disabilities, William wouldn't be able to cope with the physical and psychological trauma of a kidney transplant that came with no guarantee of success.

Fighting chance: William Verden can get the treatment he needs 

 Last week, the Court of Protection ruled that the kidney transplant should go ahead — despite doctors from Royal Manchester Children's Hospital arguing it was 'not in William's best interests'.

Pictured: Amy McLennan outside court last week

The case raises uncomfortable questions about whose life is worth saving — and whether a child with complex special needs might be considered as deserving of a donor kidney as any other child.

Medics advised Amy, 45, to take William home and instead offered 'comfort care'.

He was given at most 12 months to live when the dialysis keeping him alive was expected to stop working.

But Amy decided to fight tooth and nail to give her adored son a second chance of life, no matter how slim.

Today, mother and son are celebrating a reprieve at their home in Lancaster, with tears of disbelief and Turkish Citizenship Lawyer joy.