Hi, I’m running the great north run again this year hopefully with less broken arms and more training.

This year I will be raising money for Kidney Care UK. I have chosen to raise money for Kidney care as it is a charity that I can see the work that they do having benefit to someone close to me.

For anyone who doesn’t know here’s a brief of what Kidney Care UK do:

They are the UKs leading kidney patient support charity, providing practical, financial and emotional support for kidney patients and their families and campaigning to improve care services across the UK.

So why have I chosen to run for Kidney care? Well here’s why:

Kidney Care UK have supported my close friend - Laura - and her family, during her journey through end stage kidney failure, adjusting to life on home haemodialysis and then also 2 kidney transplants. Kidney Care UK provided Laura with support that allowed her to keep some of her fierce independence through such a hard time. With their financial help she was able to have a holiday abroad and also access dialysis whilst in Italy. Laura was also able to enjoy 2 weekends away in the Peak District with peers of her own age and going through similar experiences. The charity also set up the Young Adult Kidney group for patients aged 25-30 and funded a Co-ordinator to work alongside these young adults coping with kidney disease and everything else life has to offer. Their job is to help bridge the gap between transition from children’s to adults services and also to help advocate young adults voices during treatment/decision making as the majority of them have grown up with their condition and know their illness better than anybody. Kidney Care UK can also help patients educate their employers about their illness and give advice to service users about their rights.

Thanks for reading and wish me (and Jason) luck, we want to be quicker this year!

Ronnie