World Kidney Day: A Story of Love, Hope and Resilience

Every year, World Kidney Day highlights the importance of kidney health, bringing awareness about the challenges experienced by those living with kidney disease.

At KTL, we recognise the resilience and strength of individuals who navigate the complexities of kidney disease - one such story is that of Sophie, KTL Environmental Coordinator whose mother, Maura, lived with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) for over three decades.

Diagnosed during a complicated pregnancy, Maura's journey was marked by years of medical treatments, dialysis, and ultimately, two life-changing kidney transplants. “Symptoms were missed during her first two pregnancies,” Sophie recalls, “but in 1989, at 28 weeks pregnant, 28 years old she became severely unwell. My baby brother was born 12 weeks early, and it was then that my mum’s kidney disease was finally diagnosed.”

For Sophie and her family from an early age, life was filled with hospital visits and medical appointments. “This was our normal,” she says. But it was in 2010, when Maura began overnight dialysis, that the reality of kidney disease hit hardest. “Dialysis changed everything. My mum was suddenly housebound every night, hooked up to a machine for 12 hours. Seeing her in pain was heartbreaking, but we knew it gave her better days.”

Hope arrived in 2011, just days before Maura’s 50th birthday, when she received the call that a kidney match had been found. “None of us could quite believe it,” Sophie shares. “She had been told her blood type made a match unlikely. But in the middle of the night in February, the phone rang from Bristol Southmead Hospital—it was the best news we could have hoped for.”

For nearly a decade, Maura lived with her transplant, enjoying a renewed sense of normality. “She had a fantastic social life, loved spending time with her grandchildren, and always had the best sense of humour,” Sophie remembers fondly. “Unless she was feeling unwell, you’d never know how much she was battling.”

However, in late 2020, Maura’s transplanted kidney began to fail. By early 2021, she was back on hemodialysis, three days a week. “Then, just a few days after her 60th birthday in February, we got the call for a second transplant. She rang me to take her to the hospital, but I thought she was joking! We didn’t think she’d get another chance and so soon.”

The second transplant was successful but came with new challenges. “This time was different,” Sophie explains. “It was during the COVID lockdown, and Mum wasn’t allowed visitors. We were all anxious, but we knew what to expect.”

Through it all, Maura remained resilient. “She never let her illness define her,” Sophie says. “She had countless hospital appointments and took multiple medications every day, but she made the most of every moment.”

Sadly, Maura passed away unexpectedly in December 2023—not from kidney disease, but with her immunosuppressant condition, it impacted her ability to fight infection. “It’s hard to put into words how much we miss her,” Sophie reflects. “But we’re so grateful for the extra years she had because of organ donation.”

Her family continues to honour her memory through awareness and fundraising. “At her funeral, we raised £1,150 for Kidney Research UK,” Sophie shares. “And in February 2024, my younger brother Jack ran the Brighton Marathon and Gloucester Half Marathon, raising £1,520 for The Polycystic Kidney Disease Charity.”

With Sophie’s older brother Liam also diagnosed with PKD, their connection to World Kidney Day remains close and poignant. “A transplant isn’t a cure—it’s a treatment that requires lifelong care,” Sophie explains. “People with kidney disease are vulnerable, and small actions—like staying home when sick—can make a huge difference in protecting them.”

For Sophie and her family, World Kidney Day is about more than awareness - it's about gratitude, resilience, and the power of medical research. “If not for awareness, fundraising, and research, my mum wouldn’t have had the life she did,” she says. “Because of two incredible transplants, she got a second chance—not just once, but twice.”      

On World Kidney Day Sophie’s story is a powerful reminder that behind every diagnosis is a family’s own story of love, hope and resilience.

Sophie hopes her mum’s journey will inspire others to learn, to give, and to fight for those still waiting for their second chance. “We may have lost our mum,” she says, “but her story lives on strong.”

For donations visit: Donate - Donation amount - JustGiving        

For more information visit: www.pkdcharity.org.uk

To find out more on World Kidney Day visit: https://www.worldkidneyday.org/