I saw a hospital being built - then worked in it for 50 years

As a teenager, Kim Helm walked past the Queen's Medical Centre while it was still being built, and told her mother she wanted to work there one day.

She achieved her dream, starting her nursing career in Nottingham in 1978 but after five decades, the children's nurse is now retiring, having supported numerous young patients and their families through some of their most difficult moments.

Joining the school of nursing at the age of 18, she went on to dedicate her life to caring for children with kidney disease, and those undergoing life-saving transplants.

Now, many of the children she once cared for are thriving adults - including 18-year-old Aliza Rafi, who is preparing to compete in the 2026 British Transplant Games.

Kim said seeing children grow up after receiving a transplant had been the most rewarding part of her career.

"It's an honour to be part of that journey," she said.

"To see them when they're so ill and then watch them blossom into a young adult, that's amazing. It makes your job worthwhile."

After qualifying as a nurse in 1982, she initially worked on the adult renal unit before joining Nottingham's children's kidney service, where she spent most of her career.

She later became a clinical nurse specialist in transplantation, a role she held for more than 25 years.

Alongside her hospital work, Kim has played a leading role in Nottingham's British Transplant Games team, helping organise the annual competition for transplant recipients.

She said the Games were about much more than sport.

"It's the friendships and support," she said.

"Families meet other families who understand what they've been through. The children feel safe, supported and part of something."

One of those young people is Aliza Rafi.

She was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of five and spent three years on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant when she was eight.

It was Kim who made the call telling her family a donor organ had become available.

Now 18, Aliza is preparing to compete in both badminton and ten-pin bowling at this year's British Transplant Games.

She said Kim had supported her and her family throughout her treatment.

"She's been with me since day one," she said.

"Whenever I was uncomfortable with something, she made sure I was okay.

"She makes me feel like she's my grandma, basically.

"In the transplant games especially, she supports me so loud. She is my number one supporter, whether I get a medal or not."

Aliza said the Games had transformed her confidence and helped her build friendships with other young transplant recipients.

"It made me realise what my kidney can do," she said.

"The Games aren't just about winning medals. They're about celebrating what your transplant has allowed you to do."

She added that she was pleased Kim was finally getting the retirement she deserved.

"Kim has made such a difference," she said.

Martin Christian, consultant paediatric nephrologist at Nottingham Children's Hospital, said Kim's departure would be felt across the department.

"We're going to miss Kim," he said.

"She's an enormous presence in the department and one of those people who always goes the extra mile.

"She knows the families really well and genuinely cares about them."

Christian said her experience and knowledge had been invaluable to children with lifelong kidney conditions.

"She knows everything there is to know about these families - not just the medical side, but their lives and backgrounds too," he said.

"Having somebody with that sort of knowledge is so important."

Colleagues have even joked about keeping a photo of her in the office with the caption: "What would Kim do?"

"We often find ourselves thinking about what Kim would have done when we're facing a difficult situation," he said.

As she begins retirement, Kim said she would miss her patients, their families and her colleagues most of all.

Looking back on five decades in nursing, she said it still did not feel like 50 years had passed.

"I do feel as though I've made a difference," she said.

"And that feels good."

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