On Sunday 30th September 2018, Peter and I are joining a 15 mile walk around Richmond Park to raise money for kidney research.  The walk has been organised by our daughter Nancy Payman.

And this is why.

December 1982 and our lives changed forever when our daughter Nancy, then just 15 months old, fell ill with what we later found out to be FSGS, a life threatening disease where the immune system attacks the kidneys causing permanent damage.

She spent her whole childhood under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital.  Her diagnosis was grim.  It was likely she would need a kidney transplant by the age of 5.  She was treated with a mix of extremely toxic drugs that only partially worked.  Over the next few years, she relapsed several times and life was a succession of hospital visits both as an in and out-patient. Then Professor Mike Dillon, Nancy's wonderful nephrologist, had a hunch and decided to try a chemotherapy drug called vincristine, originating from the beautiful Madagascan periwinkle flower.  That was the turning point.  Vincristine became her miracle drug and it sustained her in remission for many years at a time.

Mike thought he had made a breakthrough. Unfortunately it did not produce consistent results for other patients and so it was not used as a standard drug to treat the disease, nor was it used in any major medical study.

It was and remains a very unorthodox treatment - often met with great scepticism from other nephrologists.  So when Nancy relapsed again last May after 20 years in remission, we all became extremely anxious that she would not be able to find a doctor who would be prepared to treat her with her miracle drug.

She was so lucky to find two of the most special and wonderful consultants at the Royal Free Hospital, Dr Ruth Pepper and Dr. Aine Burns.  They took a big risk and managed to convince the hospital into trying vincristine.  And yet again, Nancy and her miracle drug proved the sceptics wrong. After several months vincristine put her in remission once again.

Nothing will ever repay the hospital for the amazing care and support she received.  Nevertheless we all want to try and give something back as a way of saying thank you.

But the main reason why we are trying to raise as much money as possible on this walk is because there are too many patients with this disease who do not have a miracle drug.  Many end up needing dialysis and then a transplant - except even a transplant isn't a cure as their immune system can and often does attack the new kidney.  Sadly this is a chronic disease and there is no cure. 

So we are asking our family, friends and just about everyone to join Nancy on the walk on Sunday 30th September and help raise these much needed funds.  

To find out more and register your place please email walkingforkidneys@gmail.com or please sponsor us on this page.

Thank you so much for all your support.

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