Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am heading to Nepal to take part in a trek to Everest Base Camp to celebrate the fact I'm turing 30!  I'm hoping to fund the trip myself so all your donations will be going directly to the charity.

So why Kidney Kids...

Well they have helped out one of the bravest and toughest wee boys I know!!!  He is truely an inspiration and I reckon if he can go though everything he has with a smile on his face I can haul ass to base camp.  He has one of those gorgeous faces you dont want to let down!

Its a Scottish charity which helps children with renal illness and their families.  Its not well known but does fantastic work and has given support to Aberdeen Sick Childrens Hospital as well as the families who use facitilites.

The charity is keen to use any money raised in the area it was raised so its local!  A few friends have had first hand experience of what this charity does and below gives a small insight into how they help families:-

They provide funding for specialist medical equipment which specifically help children with renal problems. For instance, if you have kidney problems blood pressure is a real problem and has to be checked regularly.

If you check blood pressure in a baby or child regularly they get to the point that they fear the machine because they know how they're going to feel therefore you never got an accurate reading and he had to go through this again and again before it would work.  KKS paid for the childrens hospital to get two new blood pressure machines which can take an accurate reading just by sensors, so the child doesnt even know it's being done.  Therefore the child fears hospital less, which should make them less fearful of strangers in time i.e. this has had a life changing effect!

They also provide equipment to ensure that children can get urgent medical treatment at home, principally dialysis machines. Dialysis always used to be done in hospitals but KKS pay for and provide dialysis machines for kids to stay at home in their own beds whilst this is done. HUGE effect on their lives.

And this seems like a small one but is really important... when you're on dialysis you need massive bags of fluid to be hooked up to the dialysis machine every night. They get delivered to your house on a monthly basis so they would fill the size of a small room on delivery day. Its bad enough that a child's bedroom has to have a dialysis machine in it but if it has to house all the fluid as well then theres pretty much "hospital" everywhere. It has an emotional impact on the family to see your kidney failure everywhere you go. KKS actually provide and build a shed in your garden to house all your dialysis equipment and fluids so that your kidney failure is not filling up your house! I know that sounds like such a small thing but its so significant to the families involved.

So I'm sure you can see that they do some fantastic work in our local area...  please dig deep and support - its not everyday I turn 30!