On 1 August 2022, my dad got a phone call at midnight saying that they had found a match for a kidney and he had to go to the hospital as soon as possible. My mum rushed into my room and woke me up alerting me of the news. I jumped out of bed and scrambled around the house, helping them to pack a night bag. They set off at quarter past midnight to the hospital. A tear rolled down my cheek as they drove off into the road, but it wasn't a tear of sadness, but rather a tear of joy, relief and gratitude.

My dad had been on peritoneal dialysis for just over eight months at this point. Three times a day, three hours a day, three monotonous cycles of draining and filling of peritoneal dialysis fluid. His mental health was degrading as the daily, repetitive process was draining all his energy while still continuing to work full time.

That particular evening of the call, we had a small family gathering, and my uncle asked him how long the wait would be for a kidney transplant. His reply was ‘It could be at any time. It could even be tomorrow. It could be as much as five years, but the consultants have told me not to get too optimistic, especially with the extreme backlog of Covid’.

The operation was successful as the kidney was accepted by his body. A week later, he was discharged from the hospital. His journey to recovery continues, as he gets stronger and stronger. He returned to full time work after six weeks of being at home, recovering after the transplant, with my mum looking after him.

I would like to run for Kidney Care UK to celebrate my dad’s exponentially increasing recovery, and also to give hope to others going through either chronic kidney disease or dialysis and possibly a painstakingly long wait for a kidney transplant. I hope you can support me for this special charity at the heart of our family.