Ethan was born in 2004 with only half a kidney. This effectively stopped working when he was 14 months old. He was rushed to hospital and, following lifesaving surgery to insert a catheter into his peritoneum, the family were able to carry out dialysis at home. From that point Ethan endured nightly dialysis, 11 hours at a time, for over 3 and a half years. While this kept him alive, it gave him little quality of life.

Once he was deemed big enough to receive an adult kidney his mum donated one of hers in July 2008. The change in him was immediate and amazing. He was suddenly bounding with life and energy. He was finally able to do “kid” things like paddle in the sea and play with his friends.

Unfortunately, donated kidneys have a limited lifespan and Ethan’s kidney has now failed and he is back on dialysis 7 nights a week again. This is a difficult situation for a 16-year-old to find themselves in. Hopefully he can get a new kidney from a donor but in the meantime, the machine keeps him alive.

The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Renal Team have been with Ethan and the family every step of the way. Any support that we can offer to them to help families in similar difficulties would be amazing and raising more awareness of organ donation is crucial.

There are more than 6,000 people currently waiting for an organ in the UK. Three people die each day while on the waiting list. Let your family know what your wishes are for your organs once you die. You might save a life.

Mr Cutting is Ethan's dad. His PE department colleagues at Woodhey High School want to raise money for the renal unit and raise awareness of Ethan's condition by asking pupils and staff to complete the 10,000 challenge (Mr Cutting has worked at Woodhey for 36 years and has taught over 10,000 pupils). This includes trying to complete 10,000 steps in 2 PE lessons and a 10k challenge of their choice outside of school, for example a 10k run, cycle or row, at their own challenge level.