Amar's London to Brighton Cycle Ride 2023
Amar Radia is raising money for Kidney Care UK
Team: Ride with Amar, YPO's London to Brighton Cycle Challenge 2023
Story
At age 17, I moved to the UK to study mathematics at Cambridge - just a regular teenager full of hopes and dreams. But shortly into my 2nd year, cycling between lectures, doctors and treatment, something that started as a small cough... turned into a life-threatening condition.
I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that was attacking (and destroying) my kidneys. After exhausting all treatment options, I was told I would eventually lose my kidneys and rely on dialysis to stay alive.
I was also told not to expect to live more than 5 years once on dialysis - which was devastating. This was not the future I had imagined. And I was not equipped to deal with the physical and mental challenges of the lonely road ahead.
Despite being increasingly symptomatic (nausea, headaches, aches, cramps), I graduated from university and joined EY in London - juggling full-time work and studying for my Chartered Accountancy exams. But just 2-years after the cough started - and much before it was expected, my kidneys failed, and I began late-night dialysis at St Mary's Hospital in London.
Although I knew this point was inevitable, nothing had prepared me for what 'life on dialysis' meant.
This is a very painful memory for me. It was physically and mentally traumatic. There was no emotional or mental health support back in the mid-90s. I was entirely on my own - disconnected from family and friends. It felt like a nightmare - always thirsty and cold, always tired and nauseous. And all the while having to dig deep - just to stay positive...just to stay alive.
I owe my parents an immense debt of gratitude for their love and support on this challenging journey. Together with close family and friends, it has kept me going even in the darkest times.
30 years on, having lived beyond everyone's expectations, I'm taking on this challenge to help young teenagers facing kidney failure. So that they have all the support and guidance on their difficult journey...that I desperately wish I had all those years ago.
Looking back, what I needed most...was support, guidance and, above all, someone to talk to...someone who would listen...someone who would understand. I was so alone and very scared.
Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for supporting Kidney Care.
About Amar
Soon turning 50, Amar is one of the longest-surviving kidney patients (having dialysed for almost 30 years). He is a patient mentor and advocates self-management - being your own "personal trainer" and surviving/thriving on dialysis.
Amar has always pushed boundaries, none more than managing his health and never letting it define him. After a decade in the City and juggling the commitments of dialysis, he left for more entrepreneurial ventures.
He is one of the co-founders of Dishoom and MTHK - an eye care brand he co-founded with professors and surgeons at Moorfields Eye Hospital. He's travelled to Harvard Business School for their intensive 3-year OPM programme - dialysing late at night to fit around classes.
Married and with two children, he recently shared his condition with his two young daughters. Shortly after, he joined as a Trustee at Kidney Care, the UK's largest kidney patient charity. Representing patients' voices, he champions what matters most to patients and their families.
Amar is a member of YPO and, in September 2023, will lead a team of 50 friends and family in the London to Brighton 55-mile Bike Ride, raising money for Kidney Care.
Your support is a lifeline for young teenagers grappling with the harsh reality of kidney failure - when dialysis becomes their only hope for staying alive.