Without your kidneys you wouldn’t survive…

I am Elisha and I would like to thank you for taking an interest in my blog. Kidney disease is a big problem in the UK, not many people know about it and I would like to make everybody aware about it. Kidney disease can affect anyone at any point in their lives. Sometimes people don’t even know they are suffering from a kidney disease. Having been diagnosed myself with Kidney Reflux I know how important treatment and awareness of the disease is.

The charity in which I am advocating for is Kidneys for Life. This charity fundraises for a hospital in Manchester called the Manchester Royal Infirmary. The charity also researches different types of kidney diseases and their cures, they also offer advice and support for their patients.

But why should you care?

This is a worthy cause because it can affect anyone for example it could be detected in a very young child who could be only a couple of months old or an older member of the community. You need your kidneys to

survive because your kidneys clean out the toxins in your blood and because anyone could be affected with the disease everyone should know and care about it.

A short story.

I was born with a normal birth apart from the fact that the umbilical cord had died. I survived but by rights I shouldn’t have done. It left some of the valves in my body to not work as well as they should have done but other than this I was healthy. At 5 months I was going to a day nursery and from then on my health went downhill rapidly. I had a high fever, I was vomiting and I appeared to be in pain quite a lot of the time. After speaking with several GPs one of them recognised the symptoms of Vecico Veteric Reflux Grade 3, (this must be discovered before an infant is 9 months old to avoid dialysis). This disease meant that urine collected in the bladder was able to pass back through what should have been a non-return valve back into the kidney. This caused the kidney shape to distort, pain and toxic shock (this made me pass out). This was happening often for me and was causing scarring to my kidneys; my left kidney was more severe than my right one. Recent discovery at the time (2002) said that no scarring could occur after the age of 5. My parents were given the option of transplant for one of my kidneys or to remain vigilant with the use of medication to avoid the risk of scarring before I reached the age of 5.

My parents were unaware of the charity Kidneys for Life and had to make their own research. The charity is there to help sufferers and their families cope with my type of situation and by increasing awareness. I hope that other families can benefit from the knowledge that the charity offers for support.

Again thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
Please may you leave a post below and in the post please may you include/answer:

• Before reading my blog, were you were aware of the charity Kidneys for Life?
• Before reading my blog, if you knew about any type of kidney disease and/or the consequences of it?
• Do you now feel more informed about the charity Kidneys for Life and what it does?
• If given the chance to do any of the following things, would you?...

1. Make a donation to Kidneys for Life
2. Become a kidney donor for your local hospital.
3. Start or join one of their fundraising campaigns ( for more information follow the link to their website here )
4. Tell your family and friends about ‘Kidneys for Life’

If you do post a response please can you tell me where you come from (your home town and country if not the UK).

Thank you once again for taking an interest in my blog.
Elisha