INSPIRATIONAL Joshua Venner is celebrating after winning a gold medal at the British Transplant Games, just a year on from a vital operation.

Joshua, nine, was born with only one kidney, although this wasn’t discovered until he was seven months old.

The Enmore School pupil spent the next eight years on medication and having constant checks to see how his kidney was doing, knowing that he would one day need a transplant.

Amazingly both his mum and dad – Fay and Ivor – were matches for their son and last June, Ivor selflessly gave Joshua one of his kidneys.

Fay said: “It was quite a scary time. We always knew that it was going to have to happen one day but then when it does happen it’s all very sudden.

“It was horrible as my husband and son were in different hospitals and we were worried about how Joshua’s body would react to the kidney and the new medication.

Fay said Joshua recovered well and was out of hospital in 11 days although he had to spend the next eight weeks in isolation.

“If anything, it was harder for Ivor in a way as the donor as his body felt exhausted after losing a kidney,” Fay added.

But the couple were unprepared for how well Joshua’s body would cope, and the difference the kidney would make.

Fay says just a year on he has grown four inches and has really changed.

They were invited to take part in this year’s transplant games which took place in June.

They accepted and joined other children representing Team Great Bristol. Joshua was joined by his mum and big sister Imogen who Fay says has been a great support.

She added: “It was such an amazing weekend and going to such an event with other families who’ve gone through a similar journey as us was great for not only for Joshua but myself and my daughter.

“Living with kidney can be tough and isolating and spending time with other’s in this situation was a great boost for us all."

She added: “Unfortunately my husband – the living donor – was unable to attend as he had commitments at home on our farm.

“This was such a pity as the games is also about raising awareness of organ donation and living donors and being thankful to them.”

Joshua competed in five events: table tennis, backstroke, freestyle, ball throw and a 50m Sprint.

He also took part in the 3km donor run, where Team Great Bristol all dressed up as Where’s Wally and tug of war against Jeremy Kyle.

Joshua won gold in table tennis and bronze in backstroke and his coaches and teachers were just as delighted as he was with the results.

Imogen also went home with a bronze in cupstacking.

Joshua said: “It was nice to meet people who have been through the same/similar to me. Before my transplant I was always tired and suffered a lot with headaches.

“Kidney disease is a silent illness and I looked fairly well from the outside so no one really understood how it felt and what I go through.

"I was amazed and extremely proud of myself to win a gold medal but just standing in the stadium where great Olympians had also competed was pretty awesome and such a great achievement from where I was this time last year.”

Despite Joshua’s success, it’s not the end of his battle.

He still has to take care in what he does and needs blood tests every eight weeks.

He will also require another kidney transplant in the future.

“It’s quite easy to get complacent but we can’t really,” Faye added. “He will need another transplant in the future but he has been so wonderful and determined so far and I’m so proud of him and of my husband for donating his kidney.

“I’m very grateful to all the support from my family and friends and I think he is an inspiration to other young people.”