The man who gave Busted star James Bourne a new kidney has revealed just how ill the singer was before the operation, and how quickly things changed once it was done.

Chris Bourne, James' younger brother, donated one of his kidneys to the “Year 3000” hitmaker a little over a month ago. In his only interview about it so far, he told The Sun that James was having trouble with his eyesight in the hours before surgery.

The clock on the wall

The brothers waited in matching rooms next door to each other, each with a clock on the wall at the foot of the bed. Chris joked that watching the clock drove them both mad as they waited to be called in.

Before the operation, James told his brother he couldn’t make out the clock face. After surgery, when he was wheeled back to his room, he could read it clearly. Chris said that while a transplant doesn’t fix everything overnight, some improvements happen almost straight away, and he called it incredible.

He also had a positive update for fans. James is doing really well, and the surgeon was thrilled with how it went. According to Chris, the surgeon told him he’d given his brother a top-of-the-range kidney. Chris joked that he hoped the one he kept was just as good. He is now partway through a six-week recovery.

Stepping in at the last minute

James’ health problems first came to light just over a year ago. Doctors told him to go into hospital for urgent tests one day before Busted were due to begin a joint tour with McFly. James called Chris and told him he was stepping in.

Chris said the family had no idea anything was wrong. He drove to Southend to see James, who told him to learn as many Busted songs as he could. Chris said one look at his brother told him he wasn’t well. The band had already spent three weeks in full production rehearsals, and Chris compared the sudden swap to a “Freaky Friday” nightmare.

He joined Matt Willis, Charlie Simpson and tour drummer Eddy Thrower in Leeds, just a day before the opening night in Birmingham. The first two shows went smoothly. Then, at the third show at London’s Wembley Arena, the family learned how serious James’ condition really was. Chris said their sister Melissa took a phone call and broke down in tears.

“Rohan will answer”

Chris and his siblings Melissa and Nick all got tested as possible donors, and Chris turned out to be the best match. He marked the moment by posting a Lord of the Rings meme in the family group chat, the “Rohan will answer” scene, and then changed his lifestyle to get ready for surgery.

He admitted that filling in on tour was emotionally hard. He slept in hotel suites booked in James’ name with his brother’s clothes in the wardrobe, and said part of him felt uncomfortable being in the spotlight because of his brother’s illness. At one show, fans wore masks of James’ face as a show of love, and Chris said he had to turn away to hold himself together.

A fist bump and a fresh start

The brothers were finally cleared for surgery on October 3. Chris said he didn’t sleep the night before. On the morning of the operation the two shared a silent fist bump before Chris went into his five-hour procedure. James went in afterwards. Chris said hearing that it had all gone well lifted a weight he’d been carrying for a year.

Now the family are looking forward to Christmas together. Chris says he can’t wait to do ordinary things with James again, like playing music and hanging out.

Source: The Sun.