Tony is cycling from Land’s End to John O’ Groats in nine days
Tony Knight knows he may need dialysis or a kidney transplant in the future so is cycling almost 1,000 miles in nine days to raise money for research.
Tony, 55, of Malvern, will be cycling across Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats in the Deloitte Challenge.
“Many people are oblivious to the fact that they have kidney disease,” says Tony. “Many do not find out until the kidney function deteriorates, which then potentially leads to dialysis and then a kidney transplant.
“In my case, at this time, I still have a normal kidney function and all that is required is to manage my blood pressure to ease the burden on the kidneys. It will also be beneficial for me to lose weight, so a challenge like this provides the physical focus to support this.
“It was strange last year having to declare medical conditions when I took out holiday insurance; it now seems real.”
Tony will be pedalling across the rolling hills of Cornwall and on to the vast, sweeping landscapes of Scotland, exploring some of the best cycling Britain has to offer, in the nine-day ride of 980 miles in September.
Enlarged kidneys led to bulk in upper abdomen
Tony only found out he had kidney problems when he had some blood in his urine which prompted him to get it checked out. After initial checks, he was referred to a urology consultant.
An ultrasound scan detected enlarged kidneys and he was transferred to a nephrology consultant. The reason for the enlarged kidneys were cysts – formed due to polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
“I was told the kidneys were 50 per cent larger than normal due to the cysts. The increased size needs to be accommodated somewhere so now I have a reason for the bulk in the upper abdomen! If it weren’t for the initial checks, I would not have known that I had PKD”.
“There is no cure, so this is a ticking time bomb for me, hence the reason to support Kidney Research UK. This is the first time that I am fundraising for a charity that could make a difference for me or others like me in the future.”
You can support Tony by visiting his Virgin Money Giving fundraising page.
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