I am taking part in the British Transplant Games Donor Run 2024. Please sponsor me and help raise much needed funds to enhance care for patients, their families and staff of the Children's Renal Ward of Nottingham's QMC.

Alex's story:

Out of the blue, in March 2014 Alex became very poorly. After being seen in Derby A&E he was transferred to QMC and diagnosed with acute kidney failure. This was a complete shock to the family and was difficult to cope with since Alex is physically disabled with severe and profound learning difficulties. He coped well with dialysis and went home onto peritoneal dialysis.

I decided to become a donor and was worked up to give Alex my kidney in August 2015. The procedure failed and despite the surgeon heroically performing the operation twice it became obvious that the kidney was not a good ‘fit’.

October 2017 and 2 transplant attempts later Alex was given a superb A1 kidney. The road to recovery was not easy, not helped by a double hip operation in 2021 where both his leg bones and hip were reset, but he is now up and walking in his gait trainer and a very happy teenager who loves going to school and being out and about. He is a local legend in his village just north of Derby!

I am running today to raise money for the staff and patients in QMC Childrens Renal Ward and to say a really big thank you to the donor and their family. They could provide something for Alex that, unfortunately, I could not, and I will always be eternally grateful.