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

New £10.4M research centre will unlock new tests, treatments and cures for people living with rare kidney diseases 23 April 2024 Thousands of people living with rare kidney disease will get access to improved diagnostics, treatments and potentially cures, thanks to the creation of a new research centre co-funded by Kidney Research UK and medical charity LifeArc. In 2023 our major report showed that kidney failure could overwhelm the health care system within ten years. The LifeArc-Kidney Research UK Centre for Rare Kidney Diseases is being launched to provide urgent focus and resource. It ..read more

Shocking that nothing has changed in 20 years 23 April 2024 Twenty-five years ago, Kathryn Croker faced kidney failure after being diagnosed with the rare disease, IgA vasculitis. Receiving a transplant from her dad in 2013, she then began volunteering with us at Kidney Research UK and now shares her own experiences to help shape the future of research as part of our lay advisory group.  Most recently, Kathryn has shared her perspective as a kidney patient as part of a funding application, helping secure a £9.4m research centre focused on accelerating research into rare kidney diseas ..read more

I donated a kidney to a stranger – now I’m running the London Marathon! 18 April 2024 On 4 February 2015, Paul Dooley, from Glasgow, took the amazing step of donating a kidney to a stranger. Paul, 39, and his brother Kenny, 44, became the first siblings in the UK to altruistically donate organs, with Kenny having donated a kidney of his own three years previously. When Paul runs the London Marathon alongside his fiancée, Lynsey, on Sunday 21 April, he will be changing even more lives by raising money to support our work at Kidney Research UK.  Lorry driver, Paul, says: “When my broth ..read more

“Dialysis takes five hours of my husband’s life every other day – the time it’ll take me to run the London Marathon!” 17 April 2024 Running the London Marathon in five hours will be a challenge, but one that Tamsin Hill is determined to complete when she takes to the streets of London on Sunday 21 April 2024. Tamsin’s husband, Craig, lives with kidney disease and, together with their daughter Ellie, will be cheering as Tamsin runs to raise money for us at Kidney Research UK.   Tamsin, 42 from Durham, says: “Craig is my inspiration. His dialysis takes him away from life for ..read more

Kidney nurse wins bronze at esteemed awards 11 April 2024 Rosaline Agyekum, senior nurse on the Health Inequalities in kiDney Disease, mEeting the urgent Need to identify early disease in high-risk communities (HIDDEN) project, has been awarded bronze for Renal Nurse of the Year at the British Journal of Nursing (BJN) awards . Rosaline Agyeku A project to research high risk communities With funding from Kidney Research UK, Roseline and her team from King’s College Hospital are working to reach high risk groups, like the African and Afro Caribbean community (AACC), that may otherwise n ..read more

Siblings make father proud by taking on the Easter Ultra Challenge 11 April 2024 Three siblings took on the Easter Ultra Challenge on Saturday 6 April – walking 10km and raising more than £5,600 for Kidney Research UK to mark their father’s recent transplant.  Simran, from London, was joined by her sister Raani and brother Kamal. She says: “This disease has touched our family in a very personal way. We wanted to show our gratitude and push ourselves to do something following our dad’s experience, by raising money for Kidney Research UK for other people affected.”  Siblings, S ..read more

I donated a kidney to my best mate, now I’m running the London marathon! 08 April 2024 In November 2023, best mates, Spencer Moss, from Surrey, and Dave Yeatman from East Sussex, celebrated a special anniversary. It was ten years since Spencer donated one of his kidneys to Dave.   Spencer, 56, says: “We go out every year to celebrate our kidneyversary. We always try to book a table at a restaurant with our partners. It’s an emotional occasion for us all.”  Best friends, Dave and Spencer Marathon plans The pair had planned to run this year’s London Marathon together, on ..read more