What are we doing?

We're fundraising for the Addenbrooke's Transplant Unit! :) For the month of January, Charles has offered to (virtually) cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats AND he's taking the (virtual) scenic route which means he's cycling 1033miles / 1663km rather than the standard 874miles / 1406km (I know, he's nuts). 

We'll be sharing his progress every day on Facebook, see how he's getting on here: 

www.fb.com/LandsEndtoJohnOGroatsforAddenbrookes

Why?

So a little about me. My name's Jen and in May 2019 I had a double organ transplant at Addenbrooke's. It's called an SPK (simultaneous pancreas and kidney). I was put on the organ waiting list because my kidneys had been slowly failing for years due to my diabetes but at the end of 2018 I had a sudden drop in kidney function to below 20%. To save me from eventually going onto a life of dialysis, they suggested I go on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and because I was a type 1 diabetic, they recommended also having a pancreas at the same time to help control my diabetes. This, in turn, would help protect my donor kidney from further diabetic damage and prolong its lifespan. 

It's been a massive learning curve since the op, and there have been lots of (scary) bumps along the road, but what I am most grateful for is the Addenbrooke's transplant team who have been steadily exceptional every step of the way. From my first assessment with Professor Watson and my transplant co-ordinators, Sarah and Gail, who put me at ease, to the surgeons, doctors, nurses and transplant ward staff who played a huge part in the success of the operation, to the team at the transplant clinic for their excellent ongoing care and support. I am hugely thankful to every single one of them who go on, day in and day out, and look after the hundreds of new transplant patients that come through their doors each year for kidney, pancreas, liver, intestine and multi-organ transplants, as well as the thousands of existing patients under their care.

I started writing about the difference the transplant has made to my life but there were too many benefits and noticeable changes that I had to cut it all out as it was too long to add here :)

And so, both me and my husband, Charles, strongly want to give something back to the Addenbrooke's Transplant team and raise funds to help improve the quality of care and service for both the staff and patients. Unfortunately because of NHS funding being spread so thinly across all hospital departments, the transplant unit look to Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust (ACT) to help pay for additional items that would vastly improve the quality of service they provide.

All donations count and make a difference, whether it's to provide a small supply of eye masks and ear plugs to help patients struggling to sleep through all the beeping machines and regular patient check ups that tirelessly go on through the night to a £250,000 liver perfusion machine that 'test drives' the harvested liver to check for suitability and keeps it healthy while everything is being prepared for the op which can often be hours away. And during Covid, this machine has come into its own because of the increased time it takes to prepare for an operation due to the extra safety precautions and checks. So while previously, livers would be deteriorating over time stored in a cold box, it can now be sitting and functioning in the perfusion machine for over 20 hours! These are two extremes, and so much happens in between from devices that nurses can use to find veins in arms to a surgical light and camera so that surgeons are able to record transplant procedures for surgical students to learn from. 

Thank yous

If you've got this far, thanks for reading my story. If you have any questions about anything, message me on Facebook :)

If you've made a donation, thank you, thank you, thank you!! Your contribution will literally be life changing! :)

I'm hugely grateful to the transplant team, but I can't forget all this wouldn't be possible without my donor family and others like them who selflessly agree to organ donation in what would have been a difficult time losing a loved one to give me and others a second chance at life. Thank you.