31:10:2019 Halloween countdown
Bake, fundraise and save lives this Halloween by putting on your very own bake sale. We will send you your very own fundraising pack full of ghoulishly good recipes.
Louise was only eight when she found out her kidneys weren't working properly. "I remember being told but not really knowing what it meant. My mother describes how I didn't cry, I just lay down on her lap, still, listening and hugging her.
Kidney disease was part of growing up. I couldn't join in activities with other kids because it wore me out and I'd throw up. Instead, I had years of tiredness, pain and hours spent waiting for consultant meetings and tests.
But I became strong. I finished school, got my degree, met my fiancé and we travelled the world together. I knew what my dreams were and I was determined to achieve them. With careful management and a lot of luck, I made it to 28 before my kidneys got worse.
To live, I needed a transplant. None of my friends or family were a match. I appealed online for a donor - it was terrifying. My phone exploded with messages of support, including one from Kayleigh. We'd never met but she soon became a friend. And a match. Her kidney saved my life".
For every ten people in the UK, one is like me. But not all of them are as lucky.
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