JUST months after donating a kidney to a friend a Leamington man took part in a charity boxing match.
Ashley Turnbull offered one of his kidneys to fellow recruitment worker and friend Paige Johnstone after tests revealed they were a match.
The 25-year-old spent a year undergoing tests to check he was a match for 27-year-old Paige, who he worked with in Coventry and who is also one of his closest friends.
She discovered she had kidney failure in 2017 and a year later the pair both underwent the transplant operation.
Ashley said: “Paige and I had been working together and had become really close so I couldn’t believe it when she told me she had kidney failure.
“I wanted to do something to help her, so I went through all the tests and amazingly we came back as a match.”
And despite going under the knife Ashley signed up to take part in a charity boxing match, jumping in the ring just five months after his surgery.
He lost the bout – but together with his friend Joey Whittaker who also boxed, raised £700 for Cancer Research UK.
The pair took part through Ultra White Collar Boxing, which offers eight weeks of free training before an event in front of hundreds of spectators.
Ashley said: “I was at a friend’s house watching an Anthony Joshua fight, and said we should give boxing a go.
“We signed up just five months after the operation and luckily I was medically cleared to take part. My fitness was weak going into it but I pushed through.
“My bout ended in the second round but it didn’t matter because I enjoyed it so much.
“Win, lose or draw, you won’t ever feel better than having your friends and family cheer your name while you get punched in the face.
“I donated one of my kidneys in July and I was in the boxing ring in December so there really are no excuses for not getting involved.”
Visit www.ultrawhitecollarboxing.co.uk/locations/coventry/ to find out more about taking part.
