My Story.

On 31st December 2023, I was admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital with suspected end-stage kidney failure. After a couple of months of feeling ‘off’, I’d gone to see my GP the day before and been sent home with migraine medication. The next morning there was blood in my urine. Jord took me to the walk in centre (an experience on NYE!) and the doctor there without a doubt saved my life. After taking my blood pressure he told me not to panic as my reading was so high I was close to having a stroke, and rang ahead to BVH A&E.

After multiple tests, biopsies and blood transfusions at both BVH and Preston Royal Hospital, doctors determined I had kidney failure as both kidneys were operating at between 6-7%. I was placed on dialysis firstly at Preston and then as an outpatient at Clifton Hospital in St Annes. However, because my kidneys were so badly damaged, doctors couldn’t determine what the cause of the failure was. To this day the cause field on my hospital paperwork still reads ‘unknown’.

Before this happened, I didn’t even know what role the kidneys had in a body, nevermind what dialysis was. It was extremely scary and overwhelming to me and to my friends and family going into the unknown each and every day; trying to navigate a world completely new to all of us.

I spent almost 2 years going to Clifton Hospital 3 times per week for a 4 hour dialysis session. All whilst trying to find a donor kidney for me to have a transplant. The testing and matching process is gruelling for recipient and potential donors, but thankfully a match was found in one of my best friends, Oli. He selflessly volunteered to donate one of his kidneys to me - a gift that I will forever be grateful to him for.

On 14th November 2025, I had my transplant at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Nerves, anticipation, excitement, dread, anxiety were just some of the thousands of emotions I felt that day. Admittedly, I was more nervous for the recovery as I’d heard it can be rough, and scared of the very real potential that Oli and I would go through all of this just for my body to reject the new kidney. However, by 18th November both Oli and I had been discharged from hospital and on the road to recovery.

Just over 1 month later, I became a dad for the first time and my whole reason for continuing to fight was there in my arms. I still have to go to hospital for regular check ups but dialysis is, for now, a distant memory. My new kidney is now operating at around 74% and all medical professionals are happy with my progress.

But that isn’t the end. Because there is no cure. At some point in my lifetime, and there are no guarantees as to when, the donated kidney will more than likely fail and I’ll be back on dialysis and trying to find a new kidney. I try not to think about it and just make the most of the time that this new kidney has given me with my family. But it’s always there at the back of my mind. Kidney transplants very rarely last a lifetime, so they are bittersweet.

Kidney failure is one of the top 10 cause of deaths worldwide and it wasn’t until my illness and transplant that I realised isn’t understood or spoken about enough.

So, on Friday 18th September 2026, I’ll be setting off walking from Poulton-le-Fylde to Preston Hospital, to Manchester Royal Infirmary and back again - roughly 100 miles! All to spread awareness and raise money for Kidney Research UK. If my story gets even one person talking about this disease, that’s one person more than before. Any support you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Chris x

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