FATHER-OF-TWO Mark Edgecumbe nearly lost out on a vital kidney transplant when he took off his emergency bleeper on a family holiday.

Mark, 42, from Hove, was staying in a caravan at Pevensey Bay when an appropriate donor suddenly came up.

Despite spending hours trying to bleep him, Brighton's renal unit failed to raise a response because Mark's pager had been left in his car.

Hospital chiefs only managed to track him down by contacting his brother-in-law, John Davies, back at Mark's home in Hove.

He managed to put them in touch with the caravan site manager, who knocked on the door to wake up Mark.

Mark contacted Brighton just in time and was operated on in London later the same day.

Now he is back at his Ruskin Road home with wife Sarah, 28, and children Rebecca, six, and Jeffrey, eight, after a successful op.

Mark said: "We had been at the South East Kidney Patients' Association caravan site for three days when the call came.

"I stupidly forgot to take my bleeper with me when I went to bed, so when they tried to get me at 6.30 in the morning, they couldn't.

"When the manager found me, because the camp office wasn't open, I had to fumble for change so I could use a call box to get through to the Royal Sussex County Hospital at Brighton. But I managed it in time, and by 4pm I was being operated on at St George's Hospital in London.

"I was so lucky."

Sarah said: "When we went on holiday I thought to myself I'd better ring home to let my brother know all the numbers of the caravan site, just in case they were needed, but I never dreamt it would be because of a kidney donation.

"It was a bit of a miracle the way it all worked out in the end."

Mark had to give up work as a self-employed painter and decorator three years ago, after being diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, an hereditary illness.

He was put on dialysis six months later, and has been waiting for a donor ever since.

He said: "The disease has devastated my life, but things are looking a lot better now.

"Hopefully, it won't be too long before I can consider going to work again."

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