In two weeks Paul Sloane will celebrate his 40th birthday, and even though he may spend much of it hooked to a dialysis machine, it will still be one of the best days of his life.

"For a patient who started out at 11, was on dialysis at 14 and is now turning 40, I've done myself proud," said Paul.

Waiting patiently in the hope of a third kidney transplant, the Hastings man has only recently come to accept the disease that has ravaged his life and his family.

Inheriting a genetic disease, Paul and his two brothers all suffered renal failure and had transplants. Older brother Michael was one of the first to receive dialysis in Hawke's Bay in 1977 but a transplant in 1978 resulted in his death only a week after the operation.

At the time, 14-year-old Paul was travelling to Wellington for dialysis three times a week, so in 1979 his father, Pat Sloane, donated a kidney that allowed his son to complete school and travel overseas.

Just as the family's battle with renal failure seemed to be over, Paul's second brother Greg developed the condition in 1988, making it mother Margaret's turn to go under the knife in order to donate a kidney.

"It has all been pretty shattering but we are Catholic and our faith and the support of family and friends has kept us going," said Mrs Sloane, who was told she had a 25 percent chance of giving birth to a child with the rare renal disorder.

And while her kidney is still functioning well in Greg 15 years later, Paul has not been as lucky. His first transplant failed after 10 years and his second after nine.

Unsure whether he will ever get the call-up for a third kidney, Paul spends three days a week at Hawke's Bay Hospital, hooked up to a dialysis machine for five hours at a time.

"You have to keep the hope alive, it's what keeps me going and gives me the drive to get up every day," said Paul.

After 27 years coping with renal failure, Paul has only recently been able to accept his condition and be positive about the future.

"It's been a lifelong battle for me and not just week to week but on a daily basis. I never thought I'd see my 40th."

And while that was gift enough, Paul said there was one thing he had especially asked for - a surprise.