Fighting hereditary kidney disease, 20 years after uncle died on Christmas Day
A 27-year-old man from West Yorkshire is sharing his family’s fight against kidney disease, two decades after his uncle’s death. The hereditary condition continues to devastate their lives, as his mum spends this festive season waiting for a second kidney transplant.
Jack Senior, from Huddersfield, says: “Our family finds it difficult to enjoy Christmas because of the bad memories of losing my Uncle Graham. This Christmas will be even more challenging with Mum still waiting for a kidney transplant. Her first transplant is failing after 10 years, and she is now back on dialysis again – something she has been dreading.
“I was 11 when Mum’s kidneys failed for the first time. She was on dialysis for two and a half years. I had to grow up quickly as a young carer, supporting Mum and my younger sister. Dialysis was really hard. Mum was often tired and had to cut her hours down at work. It affected us financially and knocked her a lot.
“Not all my siblings have been tested to check if kidney disease has been inherited, but I have and I’ve been told I do not have it. That means I’ve been able to put myself forward as a kidney donor. Mum’s first transplant transformed her life. She had so much more energy and was able to get back to socialising with people. It lasted ten years before it failed. I know a second transplant would also make a huge difference.”
Hereditary kidney disease
Kidney disease has affected multiple generations of Jack’s family, including his grandma, mum, auntie and uncle. Before he died, Uncle Graham also needed dialysis.
Jack says: “I was very young when he died. I remember seeing him on Christmas morning before visiting my dad’s side of the family. When we returned to see Uncle Graham later that day, everyone was panicking. He had high potassium and had a heart attack, which stopped his heart immediately. His death has put a bad light on Christmas, and a lot of our family hate the day now.
“This Christmas will be even more difficult than usual, with Mum on dialysis again. This year her kidney slowly declined until she woke up one night with pneumonia, leading to kidney failure. She was able to have dialysis at home before her first transplant. However, this time she needs to be treated in hospital. That means a long drive of an hour and a half each way, on top of the four hours of treatment itself, three times a week.
“Mum puts on a brave face, but I know she’s finding it harder than she lets on. She has had to give up work as a receptionist, and it has devastated her life. She’s now on the transplant list, but it feels like a lottery to see if anyone is the right match.”
Becoming a kidney donor
Jack was too young to donate a kidney to his mum when she received her first transplant. But Jack’s older sister, Jessica, was able to do so via the Living Kidney Sharing Scheme, where she donated a kidney to a stranger, and her mum received one which was a better match in return. Now, Jack, who is also not able to donate directly to his mum, has put himself forward for the scheme, to match them with a compatible donor and recipient pair.
"I’m excited about the prospect of donating to Mum. It’s incredible how a kidney transplant can give someone a new lease of life, without affecting the health of the donor in a significant way. There are some risks but it’s rare that any problems occur and you’re basically saving someone’s life.
“When someone has kidney disease, it doesn't just affect them. It’s everyone around them too. So, a kidney donation improves so many people’s lives. If the shoe was on the other foot, you’d want someone to help you. When you’re in a bad situation, you should be able to rely on others to help.
“I want to make a difference for as many people as I can and ran the Windermere Marathon in June with a cousin and a friend for Kidney Research UK. I’ve never done a marathon before, and the training was very hard. It was satisfying to finish, and I felt great afterwards. The initial target was £2,000 but we raised close to £3,000 which was amazing.
“Mum was buzzing with our fundraising, and I hope that I can do something even more special for her by donating a kidney. Meaning we can make happier Christmas memories together in future.”
Help change a life
You can support kidney patients like little Bella to get back to making happy memories by donating to our Christmas appeal.
