My Story

This September I will be running the Great North Run for Kidney Care UK in memory of my Pops.

For those that don't know, my dad was born with only one functioning kidney which unfortunately began to fail in his mid 30's. By the time he turned 50 his kidney failure had reached the point of requiring a transplant, however the kidney transplant list is a very long one and in the meantime he had to undergo dialysis 3/4 times per week to do the job his kidney should.  

Unfortunately a few years later he was removed from the transplant list due to other health conditions he had developed as a result of the strain kidney disease and dialysis had had on his body. This meant that he would require dialysis for the rest of his life. As a family we decided that in order to limit the amount of time he would have to spend in hospital we would get trained and get a dialysis machine installed in our house so we could administer his care at home ourselves. This wouldn't have been possible without the support of Kidney Care UK, for which I am forever grateful as it meant we got to spend as much time as possible together in his last few years. Just 3 months shy of turning 60 my dad lost his battle to this horrible disease.  

The reason I am sharing our families story is to demonstrate just how big an impact this disease has on patients and their families and it is one that is usually over a number of many years. Kidney Care UK are a charity that helps support both patients and their families through every stage of this process. 

Every step I make and every penny I raise will be helping Kidney Care UK be there for people affected by kidney disease. Currently, over 3.5 million people are diagnosed with kidney disease with 68,000 of these in kidney failure and 30,000 receiving dialysis treatment. 

Please support me and them to make sure no one faces kidney disease alone.