Runners raise £16,000 for Kidneys For Life

Wilmslow mum Joanna Elliott and 30 of her friends and family, mostly parents from Gorsey Bank Primary School, took part in the Great Manchester Run at the weekend to raise money for Kidneys For Life.

Previously non-runners, the 'Kidney Beans' completed the 10K raising £16,000 so far.

Joanna's daughter Natalie, aged 9, suffers from a rare kidney condition that will require a transplant, hopefully from one of her parents, in the next 18 months. In the run up to her operation, they are organising several fundraising events for Kidneys for Life, the first of which was the Great Manchester Run.

In the summer of 2013 whilst playing with her big brother Ben on holiday in Yosemite Park, California, Natalie had an accident on a hammock and managed to knock two adult teeth out. Following a frantic 100 mile dash to the nearest hospital, the two teeth were forced back into her mouth, without anaesthetic, and they thought that was the worst of it.

However, the doctor treating Natalie's mouth injury did a standard blood test and two hours later came back into the treatment room and asked if Natalie had a problem with her kidneys.

Natalie's father Chris explained "We looked at him as if he was mad and asked him to just ignore that and please get on with treating her mouth as she had never had a day off school in her life."

Six months later, after numerous tests and hospital visits, Natalie was diagnosed with nephronophthisis, a rare genetic disorder of the kidneys which affects children and causes the kidneys to start to fail from age five onwards. Her kidney function was down to 30%.

The only cure is a transplant and fortunately both her parents, Joanna and Chris are suitable matches.

Chris said "Natalie will hopefully be having a kidney transplant in the next eighteen months or so and in the run up to the transplant operation, we have decided through a number of initiatives to raise money for Kidneys for Life, for the Manchester Institute of Nephrology and Transplantation MINT a charity that helps research and sufferers of life threatening kidney conditions."

You can sponsor the Elliott family via their fundraising page.

Tags:

Kidneys For Life, Manchester Great Run