Running isn’t something which I find easy however you have to get uncomfortable to get comfortable and in this case it’s to make an impacting difference with a cause which is deeply personal to me and my family.

 

In 2017, during my GCSEs, my dad was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). It was extremely difficult to adjust to knowing someone you love is living with minimal kidney function and will need dialysis to survive. This took both a physically and emotionally toll to our family. Our lives changed overnight and constant worry of how will it all work.

 

Dialysis became the new routine, long sessions at New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, often lasting 5–6 hours each. Eventually, he moved to the Maurice Jackson Renal Unit, Wolverhampton and dialysis became his new way of life. He wasn't fit enough for a transplant. The staff at both of these places became family providing constant support while  helping us adjust to this new way of life. I'll forever be grateful to all the staff who were on this journey with us. 

Over time, dad’s condition worsened, he endured incredible hardship, including a broken hip and a leg amputation. Throughout this time, Kidney Research UK provided guided me better understand his illness. This was especially important as South Asian communities view health issues as taboo and are surrounded by stigma.

 

Unfortunately at the beginning of June 2019, dad passed away due to complications from CKD and other health factors. He didn’t get to see me open my A-Level results that summer, a moment I’d always hoped to share as he always pushed me to work hard towards them, instead I took an extended period off from school and resat my exam’s. He has since missed many milestones in mine and my mum’s life from birthdays to new jobs and he will continue to be missed in every big and small moment we experience.

 

So here I am dedicating this run to him and for every family navigating the uncertainty and heartache that kidney disease brings. I see you, I hear you. 

 

Over 7 million people in the UK are affected by kidney disease, and many don’t know they have it until it’s too late. 1 in 5 patients sadly won’t survive their first year of dialysis. There is no cure, but with research, early diagnosis, and better treatment, there is hope. I have been an advocate for supporting Kidney Research UK as they are dedicated solely to this fight.

I’m running to raise awareness and to break the negative connotations while challenging the stigma associated within the South Asian community around having an illness like Kidney Disease and to fund the science that could save lives.

 

Regardless of the amount, your donation means the world.

 

Every step I run is for the ones we’ve lost and the ones who are still fighting.

 

Thank you for supporting my run 💛