Here's a brief intro:

For more details & reasons for support see further below 😊.

Because of my wife Sarah's illness (IGA Nephropathy: an auto-immune disorder) which caused both kidneys to fail in December 2015 then a rush into hospital ultimately leaving her depending on daily dialysis.

So each year I embark on a more challenging challenge in support of various Kidney related charities.

This year I'm supporting Kidneys for Life, a charity based at Manchester's MRI Hospital.

This challenge will really push me beyond my comfort, it's a 385km cross country cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia this October, not only the distance but the temperature & humidity is going to be a battle.

My aim is to raise £4000.

As I'm sure you'll know these events have a cost, this is £1800; but we (the family) are covering this meaning the full amount of all (non direct family) donations will go to the charity.

Sarah has now just (in December 2019) received a kidney transplant which was a complete success meaning she has now stopped diayisis.

Our whole family are massively grateful for the family of the deceased who agreed to donate the kidney 💕.

Although transplanted organs don't last forever we hope it will last for many years before needing to return to dialysis, unless that is research finds different treatment or more transplant organs.

Thanks for reading,  Andy.

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More kidney related history & background:-

A large number of the population have chronic kidney disease and this is only going to get worse as we put on weight and live longer.

Whilst it is more likely to affect you when you get older, all ages are at risk and can develop kidney failure needing dialysis and possibly a kidney transplant.

We are looking for kidneys to last a lifetime with our research.

My challenge this time is a cycle ride from Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, some 380km.

Again my wish to support another Kidney linked charity was triggered due to personal experience of how quickly kidney problems can silently develop and hit you from nowhere.

My wife Sarah, plus many many other victims, have experienced both the resultant problems caused by the silent killer of Kidney Failure, but also the benefits brought by the medical researchto date.

But current treatment is only a treatment, not a cure, although the fantastic life extending dialysis and transplant has limited life, dialysis not only causes huge strain on the body and degrades quality of life but also shortens life expectancy, even a kidney transplant has limited life of 10’s of years.

It is hoped a combination of better awareness & improved tests will catch failure earlier, then more effective medication & dialysis, plus ultimately maybe development of transplant or even artificial organs can improve the outlook of sufferers and their families.

The financial support of research via charities is essential to help continue work towards medical improvements.