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Victoria Roberts
My husband, Keith, was diagnosed with CKD in March 2008 completely out of the blue. He was a fit and healthy young man and become unwell quite suddenly. After diagnosis of Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis, he went down hill very quickly and was forced onto dialysis by February 2009. As a self-employed husband and father with a mortgage to pay he decided on APD as it allowed him to take control of his treatment and try to continue living life as normal as possible, we even used to take the machine on holiday with us. While Keith was on dialysis I decided to try and do a little to help others in our situation and gathered some friends and we took part in the London Bridges Walk 2009. It was a fantastic day but I wanted to do more so decided that I would jump 13,000 feet out of an aeroplane for my 30th Birthday and raise more funds for KRUK. The day before my jump, the actual day of my birthday, we travelled to London for Keith to be put onto the transplant waiting list. Keith had decided to go on the list and also start looking into the option of a living donor transplant. The following day I leapt and it was one of the best experiences of my life!!! After the adreniline had died down, I decided to start looking for my next challenge. Keith was looking over my shoulder when I was on the cycling pages and saw the London to Paris ride, he laughed and said it would be perfect for me......full of sarcasm. The gauntlet had been laid......I was going to Paris :o) We discussed the idea for a couple of weeks and then the issue was forgotten as I wasn't committing to it until 2010 for the 2011 ride to allow myself time to give up smoking and get fit, both things I would have to do if I wanted to be tested as a living donor as well. In December 2009, at 2am, we got THE call, they had a match........unbelievable. The rest, as they say is history. Thanks to some amazing family out there, Keith has his life back :o)
From the start of his illness I have met and spoke to many people who have been suddenly struck by this disease, from all walks of life and of all ages and discovered it really is not fussy about who it strikes. Yet very few people are aware of the symptoms of developing the disease or the life shattering effects the disease can have on a family once it strikes. As such I hope to not only raise money but also awareness of signs and symptoms, along with trying to support partners and family of others going through the same situation as it feels incredibly isolating. Just because my husband has been very lucky and is well for now, does not mean I can stop fund-raising for such a fantastic charity that supports sufferers, raises awareness for this disease and supports the research into a cure, especially with the shortage of donors in our country.
Bit if a catchup
Been a while since my last update but been very busy in the lead up to Christmas.
Keith had a bit of a scare a couple of weeks back, we thought he was rejecting his new kidney and he had to be referred back to the transplant hospital for a biopsy, very tense times for the whole family. Turns out he has the BK virus which has caused some renal dysfunction. Can not fault either of his hospitals though, it has been picked up very quickly and treatment has begun to stop any further damage. Even more reason for me to push on with the fund raising, just because you get a transplant, you never stop being a renal patient.
Training had come to somewhat of a halt during the hospital visits, work and childcare juggle and now the cold weather has kicked in. But on the upside, I have just got my turbo trainer so I can now get the hours in on the saddle whatever the weather and get used to the saddle sore once again. Michelle has been upping her fitness in the gym, have to admire her, I hate the place. Hopefully the cold snap won't last too long and we can get back out on the roads.
Our Halloween party went very well and we have a fabulous family Christmas party coming up too. Finding the fund raising hard work during these tough economical times but I have no doubt that we will raise our target. Luckily we have had a couple of local businesses step up to the mark and help us out with venues and prizes.
Finally I would like to thank http://www.fancydressoutfitters.co.uk -they stock a wide range of costumes that are great for fundraising from superheroes and cartoon characters to music icons and also http://www.moviestarr.uk.com/vibowl for providing a great party package for our fundraising. Without help from local businesses, I would be finding this all so much harder!
First post!
So this is it, I have signed up to cycle my way from London to Paris along with my friend Michelle and my brother Matt. Am I nervous? YES but I am also VERY excited!! I am now on my fifth week of no smoking to try and allow my lungs to cope a little better with the 300 mile journey. The sheer size of the amount I need to raise is also a little daunting but I am sure with help from friends, family and even strangers, I will hit my target. Getting out on my bike has been a bit tougher than I originally planned, trying to fit it in around my work, hubbys work and looking after the children is a challenge in itself. I'm now searching for a cheap indoor turbo trainer so I can at least get some training in, even if it is in front of the TV (I know it's not the same but better than nothing and better than an exercise bike). Also seems I may be offered a road bike to do the challenge on which is a relief and means I no longer have to hassle local bike shops. Michelle and I are in the process of arranging a couple of fund raising nights to help with sponsorship, we have a Spooky Halloween Party and a fantastic Christmas Bowling Party, kindly donated by a local business man. All things I will keep everyone updated with over the coming months, along with how well training is going. I have a Kidney Research sponsorship page set up at http://www.kidneyresearchukevents.org/nuttyvix and any help towards my target would be greatly appreciated.
