Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.  Here's my story...

A few years ago, I walked the length of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. This was partly to raise money for charity but mostly as a personal challenge for me. It was the most physically demanding thing I'd ever done and I LOVED IT! I had never really walked for pleasure before that but have done so ever since.  Two years ago, it was announced that the Wales Coast Path was officially opened and I was intrigued & inspired once more at the idea of pulling on my boots and challenging myself again.  So on March 1 2014, I will be taking the first steps to completing the 870 mile path around the coast of Wales from Chester to Chepstow.

Not only is this going to be the most challenging (and petrifying) personal endeavour for me but it is also a chance to raise awareness (and hopefully some money) for the soon to be opened Dialysis Unit in Haverfordwest which, for those of you who don't know, is my home town. This will be a state of the art facility funded by the Welsh Assembly Government so the money I raise will be for the little extras that will provide comfort to the patients whilst they undergo their life-saving treatment.  I will help to supply items such as DVD players, personal headphones, stress relieving cushions etc. that will improve the patient’s experience.

So, why the interest in Kidney disease and dialysis?  Well, in 1975, the year after I was born, my dad was diagnosed with kidney disease. His treatment was via dialysis and involved a 200 mile round trip to Cardiff twice a week. Due to the distance he needed to travel, the standard three times a week treatment was squeezed into two days which meant he would be away from his wife and two small children for the least amount of time. His day started by leaving at 5.30am to be at the hospital by 7.30am and he wasn't home until 9pm. This continued weekly for three months until he was lucky enough to be provided with a home dialysis unit housed within a portakabin in our back garden. The travelling was certainly shorter and my Dad continued to work throughout his treatment. This now meant that my (short) mum was looking after myself, my brother, her husband and his dialysis unit. For Paul and myself it meant an extra large play room in the garden with some peculiar machines and a ‘hospital-ly’ smell. One of my mum's abiding memories is of me sitting on his bed looking at the tubes protruding from his arms, then looking at mine to see where my tubes were. For Mum it meant her role had extended to include dialysis technician; learning how to clean, care for and change the artificial kidney which could be used up to five times. There was a small celebration each time it was  thrown away as this meant not having to clean it out again as it was replaced with a new one. 

In 1981, my mum became one of the founder members of the Haverfordwest Kidney Research Unit Foundation committee (now known as Kidney Wales Foundation). After 20 years as Secretary, she became the Chair of the committee. As such, she became heavily involved in the lobbying for, discussions, meeting and planning of the purpose-built dialysis unit at Withybush hospital in H'West which is due to open in the spring of 2014

In 1977, my dad had a successful kidney transplant. Gone was the need for the dialysis unit and it was taken away along with our playroom (portakabin). Unfortunately, however, my dad’s heart had previously been damaged by raised blood pressure prior to his kidney disease diagnosis. This resulted in a fatal heart attack in 1982. 

As a family, we were blessed and extremely lucky to have had the opportunity for my dad to dialyse at our house. Over the years, dialysis services have moved to Carmarthen. Although closer to Pembrokeshire, this still involves around a 100 mile round trip, 3 times a week for some people in the county. The dialysis unit at Withybush means that other families will have the bonus of more time with their loved one who happen to be a kidney patient. This is not only as a result of the life saving treatment but also the benefit of that treatment being available on their doorstep.

I am doing this walk for myself but also to raise money for the Withybush dialysis unit and other Kidney services throughout Wales supported by KWF.  If you wish to donate money to the Dialysis unit directly rather than KWF then contact me personally and I'll add you to my sponsor forms (treejherb@gmail.com)

Thank you for your attention and support x