A loving brother shed almost 240 pounds to be eligible for a donation scheme to help save his sister’s life after she was diagnosed with kidney failure.
Matthew Flanagan, 24, tipped the scales at 437 pounds as a teenager and once spent nearly $8,000 on takeaways in one year.
But when he was told he wasn’t a match to donate a kidney to his sister Emma, he was jolted into action to lose weight so he apply for a “kidney sharing” scheme.
The scheme allows him to donate his organ to anyone who is a match, which in turn gives Emma a greater chance of finding a match herself.
But potential donors who are obese face an increased risk of surgical complications and obesity may affect the remaining kidney function in the long term.
As such, Matthew had to lose a significant amount of weight before he could be accepted, which he now has.
Now a trim 204 pounds, he has signed up the scheme and also bought his dream car, a vintage Mini Cooper, which he could not fit behind the steering wheel of previously.
Matthew, who has been awarded Slimming World’s Man of the Year after losing a whopping 233 pounds, said: “I had already started losing weight when we got the news that my sister needed a transplant.
“[But] that was a big turning point for me.
“At the time my sister was in kidney failure, and I was eating my way to an early grave – it was a lot for my family to deal with so I’m glad he was there for me.
“From then on, I knew what I needed to do. Not only did I need to make changes for my own long-term health, but for Emma’s as well.
“Her situation gave me the drive and determination to lose the weight so I could help her get a new kidney.”
Matthew piled on the pounds by surviving off a diet of “processed, high-sugar foods” – admitting he once spent over $8,000 on takeaway meals in a year.
He was told by his doctor that he would be “lucky to make it to the end of the year” when he was just 19.
After Emma’s devastating diagnosis, he and his family were told they weren’t viable transplant candidates as they did not have the same type of tissue as her.
Matthew, who works for an aviation company in Lymm, Cheshire, joined Slimming World to learn how to improve his eating habits.
He said: “Hearing that from my doctor really hit home. I started to realize that everything you do has a consequence and that I was taking myself down a dark path.
“I bumped into a friend who looked great and told me he had lost weight with Slimming World.
“I went on to lose another 145 pounds with the help of my Slimming World group – 233 pounds in total.
“I’ve found such a huge support network at my group – it really does feel like one big family.”
Slimmed down Matthew now says he has a love for hiking and has climbed Snowdon and Scafell and has found love.
He added: “Before, I’d sit in my room playing video games with the blinds closed, now I can’t wait to get up and go for a walk.
“I walk around four miles on my lunch break and some days I’ll go for another walk again with my dad when I get home.
“I have so many things I would love to do now that before I could only dream of. I also felt more confident in myself which meant I put myself out there a bit more.
“I’ve since met my girlfriend Anna, who is a Slimming World member too, so we’re good at keeping each other on track.
“When I look back on what my life was like prior to my weight loss, I just don’t recognize that version of myself anymore.
“A few years down the line and almost 224 pounds lighter I’ve finally been accepted into the UKLSS, so later this year it’s likely that I’ll become a donor to someone in need of a kidney.
“This will make such a huge difference to my sister’s chances of receiving a kidney herself. For me to be able to help my sister in this way means everything.”
Matthew says he always found it difficult to eat healthily as he had been a carer for his mum since the age of six and would eat highly processed, high-sugar foods.
He would often skip breakfast and spend the day scoffing snacks between meals and then have takeaways for dinner.
Since losing the weight, he’s bought a Racing Green Mini Cooper SPI called Victory, named after his grandad, Victor.
He added: “Me and grandad have always gone to car shows together and I always wanted to sit in the classic Mini Coopers but I simply wouldn’t fit in them.
“The week before I bought Victory we went along to a show, and I finally fitted behind the wheel.
“My grandad has helped me cover the costs of repairs and is ecstatic with the progress I’ve made, so it felt only right to name it in his honour.
“I love to drive Victory and reflect on just how far I’ve come. I’m the same person but I’ve unlocked a new chapter of my life now.”
“I’m looking forward to living life to the fullest with my loved ones by my side – and if that isn’t a victory, I don’t know what is!”
Matthew’s statistics:
Height: 5ft 11ins/177cm
Starting weight: 31st 3lbs/437lbs/198kg
Current weight: 14st 8lbs/204lbs/93kg
Total weight loss: 16st 9lbs/233lbs/105kg
Weight loss with Slimming World: 10st 5lbs/145lbs/65kg
Waist size before: 58ins/147cm
Waist size now: 36ins/91cm
Date joined Slimming World: September 2020
Diet before:
Breakfast: None
Mid-morning: Pastries or a bag of crisps
Lunch: Sandwich or a takeaway meal such as pie and chips
Dinner: Frozen oven food such as chicken strips and chips or takeaway meal
Snacks: Tub of ice cream, bags of sweets, family share bags of crisps
Diet now:
Breakfast: Home-cooked omelette made with lean ham, onions and grated cheese or scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast
Lunch: Leftovers from the night before e.g. Slimming World-style bolognaise or chilli, taken to work and warmed up
Dinner: Lean steak served with homemade sweet potato chips made with low-calorie cooking spray served with and salad
Evening: Yogurt with meringue nests and berries, two Slimming World Hi-Fi bars, small packet of crisps or a chocolate bar