Call for more living kidney donors as new poll shows just 13% would consider donating to a stranger. 08 May 2024 Former footballer Andy Cole and TV’s Married at First Sight’s Marilyse Corrigan are amongst those backing a new initiative to encourage more people to consider living kidney donation as a new poll reveals just 13% would consider donating a kidney to a stranger, despite 80% of people believing you can change someone’s life even if you’ve never met them. The poll, undertaken by YouGov, is part of a new UK-wide campaign, Make Your Mark, launched by two national charities to encour ..read more

Rare disease alters twin sisters’ lives forever 07 May 2024 Twin sisters, Ellie and Leyna Parkinson, had their lives changed forever in October 2022, when Leyna was unexpectedly diagnosed with a rare form of kidney disease called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). They later discovered this was caused by a mutation in a gene called inverted formin 2 (INF2), and that Ellie has the same condition.  Now 24 years old, both sisters are struggling to come to terms with their diagnosis and what it means for their futures. Leyna says: “I thought I knew the direction my life was going ..read more

Investigating how problems with memory and other thought processes might affect treatment-related decision-making in patients with CKD 09 May 2024 Dr Kerry-Lee Rosenberg from University College London has received an Andy Cole Fund Award clinical training fellowship of £318,000 to study the impact of undiagnosed problems with memory and other thought processes (known as cognitive impairment, CI) in a multi-ethnic population with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).  The problem CI is a term used when a person experiences difficulties with some thought-related processes, such as ..read more

Understanding the impact on mental health where there is a negative outcome following a kidney transplant 09 May 2024 Emma Aitken from Queen Elizabeth Hospital Ms Emma Aitken from Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Glasgow has received an Andy Cole Fund Award clinical training fellowship of £5,300 to understand the impact that complications following a kidney transplant can have on the mental health of patients, families and surgeons.  The problem Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a life-long condition that impacts all aspects of a person’s life, which means that mental health problems ar ..read more

Joining Kidney Research UK’s Newcastle Bridges Walk in memory of Grandad 09 May 2024 When Kidney Research UK returns to Newcastle on 16 June for the Bridges Walk, Chloe Hall and her family will be there once again to join Team Kidney in transforming the lives of those affected by kidney disease.   Chloe, 23 from Northumberland, and her mum, Emma, have both been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), while her grandad, Derek, passed away from the condition in 2023, aged 68.  Chloe, who is working towards a degree in childhood studies, says: “When we joined the Newca ..read more

“Within 48 hours kidney disease had changed my life” 09 May 2024 On a Tuesday night in April 2019, Hiren Samgi, a 36-year-old business owner from Richmond, was enjoying a regular evening playing football with friends. Just two days later, he was in hospital having been diagnosed with kidney disease.  Hiren says: “I knew something was not right as I’d be having severe headaches, so I went to the GP on Wednesday morning. I didn’t have any other obvious symptoms, but when he checked my blood pressure, it was sky high. I was told I needed to go to hospital, and it quickly became clear wh ..read more

“I fit dialysis around my life, and won’t let kidney disease define me” 07 May 2024 Despite three failed kidney transplants, and the prospect of needing dialysis treatment for the rest of her life, Lynzie Stephenson is defiantly living hers.   She says: “Mentally I’m a positive person so I try not to dwell on things too much. You just adjust to it. I work full-time and I’m lucky that I can do my dialysis at home. I can still go out, socialise with friends and go on holiday.  “On 16 June I’ll be at Kidney Research UK’s Newcastle Bridges Walk with my friend Paula, who has exp ..read more

I fear for my son’s future living with kidney disease 03 May 2024 At 20 weeks pregnant, Haley Harrison and her husband, Adam, from County Down, Northern Ireland, were told that their child, Jenson, would be born with just one functioning kidney. Now four years old, Jenson is making his parents hugely proud with his positivity, despite the many hospital stays, scans, blood draws and need for regular medication.  Haley says: “He doesn’t let anything get in his way and takes everything in his stride. He is our positivity, but we do fear for the future with existing treatments for kidney ..read more

Patients at the core of research into vascular access 30 April 2024 What is vascular access? Almost 30,000 people in the UK receive haemodialysis - a procedure that helps to remove waste and excess fluids from the blood when the kidneys are not working properly. A key part of this procedure is how the patient’s bloodstream is connected to the dialysis machine, and this is a term referred to as ‘vascular access’.  The two most common types of vascular access for haemodialysis are:  Arteriovenous fistula (AVF): a special connection that is made by joining a vein onto an artery, ty ..read more

The ‘singing plumber’ heading on tour in memory of mum 25 April 2024 51-year-old musician, Kev Crane, from Quorn in Leicestershire, begins his tour of the Midlands in May, fulfilling a long-held ambition. Dubbed the ‘singing plumber’, Kev’s extraordinary story has seen him land a record contract and sign a deal with a Hollywood film maker, after being discovered working on a plumbing job in the home of a music producer.  Kev’s tour holds extra personal significance, as he will take the opportunity to celebrate his mother’s life, after she died in December 2023, and honour her wishes ..read more