Man to have ‘record-breaking’ 30kg kidneys removed

Warren Higgs’ kidneys have grown to five times their original size and could be the heaviest in the world

(Warren Higgs )

A man is set to have his “record-breaking” kidneys removed after they grew to be five times their original size.

Warren Higgs, 54, from Windsor, has polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and his cysts have now grown so large they’re at risk of crushing his other organs.

His latest scan showed that his right kidney has grown to be 49 by 28 cm, meaning it will likely break the current world record for the heaviest kidney ever extracted on its removal.

The current record-holding kidney, removed in India, weighed 7.4 kg. Mr Higgs’s kidneys weigh an estimated 30kg each.

Mr Higgs told the BBC that he isn’t particularly excited by the prospect of gaining a new world record.

“It’s not really a record you want to live with, believe me its horrible,” he said.

“PKD has literally taken away my whole life.”

Mr Higgs added that his kidneys are “crushing my lungs, crushing my stomach and ... they’re crushing my heart now.”

“It’s horrible because I can’t move. I can’t breathe. You just cant do anything.”

But Mr Higgs does want to keep his kidneys after their removal next month.

“I would like to bring my kidney home, but apparently that’s not something you’re allowed to do,” he said.

“I want them to go on my fireplace.”

Mr Higgs developed PKD, an inherited condition, at 35. Fifteen years ago, it caused him to have a stroke which left him paralysed on right side of his body.

He has since undergone six more strokes and two accidents which have damaged his brain and ribs, according to a GoFundMe page set up on his behalf.

Windsor Cars, a taxi service frequently used by Mr Higgs, set the page up along with charity Driven Forward to raise money for a new custom-built recumbent rider wheelchair to assist with his mobility.

Director of Operations Mohammed Yaser said that despite Mr Higgs’s condition “you never see him without a smile on his face, and he is known for spreading positivity throughout the community.

“Warren is always finding ways to help others in the community, and he is always putting others before himself,” he added.

For Mr Higgs, a new wheelchair would mean “getting my life back”, he told The Independent.

After his surgery in mid-July he will have to learn to walk again, he said.