I am cycling a 50km organised by the KM Charity Team on the 12th of September, originally I was keeping this personal challenge to myself until I was introduced to Tracy, who runs the social media for KKPA, we met through our weekly morning BNI meetings.
    Hearing Tracy week in, week out and her story personally has inspired me to want to raise money for KKPA, this charity goes above and beyond with their patient support, working closely with all the renal units supporting kidney patients across Kent and they are also here for the families and carers of kidney patients

• we provide financial support and benefits advice

• due to the pandemic, we are now also providing renal diet food boxes for people who are finding it hard to make ends meet financially

• we coordinate Team Kent for the annual British Transplant Games and sponsor the team at the event

• we provide 2 holiday caravans in Hastings free of charge for kidney patients and their families

• we provide Christmas presents and host bingo sessions for patients while they are undergoing dialysis treatment which can take all day and many have to attend the hospital 3 times a week.

• as things begin to open up again, we will also start holding a monthly social event as this is often the only time some patients get to meet other people. For the last 12 months, we've been having these meetings via Zoom.

• we also raise awareness of the importance of organ donation. This is very close to my heart as without my 2 kidney transplants I would either be back on dialysis or not here at all!

I am looking forward to working with KKPA more closely, alongside my training for this 50km I pledge to actively volunteer where I can to support this charity and its patients more closely. 

This will be my first ever cycling race, I think I may have really set the bar high with this one! I really enjoy cycling, it is my favourite exercise that I find helps benefit my mind and body... Since being diagnosed with a pineal cyst (primary) and Fibromyalgia (secondary) in 2019 I have not pushed myself like this since. I am really excited to be motivated this way in a bid to raise money for a wonderful charity.

KKPA website: https://www.kentkidneypatients.co.uk/about to learn a bit more about them;

The charity was established in 1986 and is run by kidney patients for kidney patients. We partner with East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust who currently support 1268 patients at various stages of their kidney treatment. All the NHS renal staff are based at Kent & Canterbury Hospital and they visit the satellite units at Ashford, Dover, Maidstone, Margate and Medway to provide outpatient care (clinics/haemodialysis) Renal Supportive Care service (caring for people who don't have dialysis) and post-transplant follow-up. In addition to these kidney patients, there are also several thousand patients who attend outpatient clinics.

I am looking for sponsors to help me raise £2500, this can be per mile/km, for the whole thing or an amount you'd like to donate. Any amount is a huge help for this charity. 

• £15 can provide a weekly renal diet food box
• £50 can provide a weekend stay in a holiday caravan for a dialysis patient
• £75 can fuel the charity vehicle for a month, delivering our food boxes
• £305 would insure 1 of our caravans for 12 months
• £1500 would pay for Christmas in the 6 renal units we support

I would like to thank everyone personally for donating, to following my training/support I will be posting as regularly as I can on my Strava and this page. 

Emma x