The incredible May family and their gorgeous and joyful 2 year-old son Asher have another tough year ahead of them. Brave little Asher has been battling chronic kidney disease since he was born; after 11 general anaesthetics he is now on dialysis 3 x a week, and scheduled for the kidney transplant he desperately needs in September; his dad Simon will be the donor for this first transplant.

We’ve set up this fundraiser for those of you who, like us, may have been wracking your brains about how to better support the May’s through Asher’s illness and in the lead up to the big operation.

As many of you know, the family have had a heck of a life journey in one way or another, and Judy, Simon and their children all have to deal daily with the stress and trauma of looking after an often very poorly Asher. They stoically do this on top of all-too-frequent hospital stays, whilst juggling work and raising their family, including Asher's newborn sister Evangeline.

Sadly, this situation has come with and continues to dish out a financial burden, that will only increase when Asher’s transplant takes place. Even from the outside we can all imagine the costs associated with this process for them. Simon will need 8-12 weeks off work post transplant using his full work allocation of sick leave which will cover some but not all of this, and he has to hope for no more sickness until April! His travel costs should be reimbursed through an NHS donors scheme (whoop!) - and they are waiting for confirmation of this. Asher’s trips to London so far, with more to come, are not covered, and there will be hospital stays in London and Southampton to manage, including the probable need for a private ambulance to transfer Asher back to Southampton; add to this taxis between St Thomas’ and Guys, and other day-to-day costs. Asher's recovery will take about a year, so there is yet more parking, M&S meals and hospital travel to pay for.

To increase the challenge they face, Judy has recently found out she is losing her job of the last 7 years; maternity leave and pay will stop from the end of August. They will also have to take a break from hosting Airbnb guests, which earns on average £450 per month, partly to reduce stress but also to protect Asher who will be on immunosuppressants. All this will make life even harder for them, and this is where we think we can all help.

Simon and Judy are proud people and would never have wanted to ask for help in this way, but we believe there are many of you who might be keen to lighten their load in this easy way, so we have spoken to them about our plans to fundraise and know they will be exceptionally grateful for any help offered.

All funds will be transferred directly to the May’s ready for them to access when Asher's transplant takes place.

Many thanks for any help - no matter how big or small - that you can offer!