On 29/11/17 my granddaughter Ruby was born. On 9/12/17 she was admitted to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit(PICU) at the Royal Hospital for Children Glasgow and diagnosed with Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome(renal failure) and will require a kidney transplant. She had to have surgery the next day for a Hickman Line and major surgery on 1/1/18 for a peritoneal dialysis catheter with dialysis starting the same evening. She was in hospital for just under 6 months, before going home with a dialysis machine, with her Mum and Dad staying at the Ronald McDonald house on site, without the doctors and nurses at RHCG specifically in Ward 3C Ruby wouldn’t be here. The journey has been and will be a long one.

Ruby’s mum and Dad continue to amaze us all with how they cope with everything, hospital stays, clinics, medications, feeds, dialysis, it’s forever changing. It’s also a lot for Ruby to cope with, but as one of the nurses told me Kidney Kids are warriors and they need to be to cope with everything.

As well as the staff at RHCG there is Kidney Kids Scotland which was setup in 2000 and is the only Scottish Charity supporting children with renal urology illness and their families. The main aim of the charity is to enable children to receive treatment as close to home as possible and minimise disruption to the family unit. They support hospitals all over Scotland by supplying them with much needed equipment and funding for posts recognised as being essential. Their main support goes to RHCG, as this is the centre for excellence for children with renal illness. It is the only hospital in Scotland to perform paediatric haemodialysis and transplant. Kidney Kids Scotland has supplied nearly every haemodialysis machine in this unit.

As I said at the beginning without the doctors and nurses at RHCG specifically ward 3C Ruby wouldn’t be here, and without Kidney Kids support of the unit and all the families it would be a very different story. Words can’t express my thanks for everything they have all done for Ruby and her mum and dad.

For this reason in 2020 I am setting myself a challenge in order to raise funds for Kidney Kids Scotland so they can continue the great work they do supporting all the families and the unit.

I plan to complete the Paris Marathon on 5th April 2020, Ironman Austria on 5th July 2020 and finally the Lisbon Marathon in October 2020(date still to be confirmed).

Many thanks

Rob

UPDATE 6th April 2022

Due to Covid I was unable to complete any of my challenges, , however I promised Sheena at Kidney Kids Scotland that’ once things were open I’d complete my challenges so I am now entered for Ironman Austria on 3rd July 2022 and Lisbon marathon on 9th October 2022, I will choose another marathon on early 2023 as the final challenge as it was very difficult to get a GP certificate for Paris prior to Covid as I’m never at the doctors. 

Another update is that Ruby had her transplant on 1st July 2020 during Covid and is doing well. Forever grateful to the amazing doctors and nurses  at the renal unit 3c at RHCG and the support of Kidney Kids to Chloe, Danny and Ruby..

Thanks

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