My name is Charlie. I'm 12 years old and I suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). My kidneys have failed completely and I am on dialysis for 10 hours every day and have to take a lot of medication in order to survive until I can get a kidney transplant.

To give you some context, there are around 1,000 children in the UK with CKD. Approximately 200 of these are on dialysis treatment and I'm one of only 100 children waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant.

Four years ago, at the age of 8, I was told I had CKD which had also resulted in renal bone disease and hypertension. I always enjoyed an active lifestyle playing outside with my friends, climbing trees, going to the park and riding my bike. I was a member of a judo club, a qualified scuba diver and played rugby for a junior local team.  A highlight I will never forget was playing rugby in the finals of a competition at Leicester Tigers Rugby Club.

Then it all stopped. As my kidneys stopped working, I became ever more fatigued and even going to school, which I absolutely love, became extremely difficult. I now spend a lot of time in a wheelchair and am connected, via a tube into my tummy, to a big machine every night. I cannot run around anymore, and rugby is something I can only dream of returning to one day.

I will not allow CKD to ruin my life, so I'm determined to do something amazing.  I have therefore set myself the huge challenge of cycling 100km during the month of April and wanted to raise some money for charity in doing so.

Kidney Care UK offers invaluable advice & support to anyone suffering from CKD so now I'd like to try and give something back. Your kind donation will help other young people and their families to receive their help too.

If you donate, Just Giving will send your money directly to Kidney Care UK and the process is totally secure.  Thank you so much for supporting me.

Charlie :)