KIDNEY TRANSPLANT MAN CALLS FOR PATIENTS TO GET MORE SUPPORT
been active, fit and well and expecting a normal life, the prospect of renal replacement therapy is a shock.”
Before he became seriously ill, Stephen was travelling abroad four times a year to take part in amateur, cycling challenges and once cleared almost 700 miles across Canada from Vancouver to Calgary in just 10 days. However, over time his results started to decline, with no obvious reason why.
Things came to a head while he was on a training camp in Lanzarote in 2014 and he had to turn back to his apartment because he didn’t have the energy to pedal over even the slightest incline.
When he returned home tests revealed his kidney function was 14%.
Stephen, who is from Paisley, was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and was told his own body had started to attack itself in a bid to beat an infection.
He was confined to bed for eight hours at a time and the treatment was the only thing keeping him alive.
Fortunately for Stephen, who lives in Paisley, he received a life-saving transplant in March 2016 and is recovering well.
He has now set up a charity, Return to Life, to help patients cope with the emotional roller-coaster of kidney dialysis and the transplant waiting list.
The charity is supported by David Kingsmore, a renal surgeon at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, and also provides advice and exercise to help patients get fit and lose weight for transplant surgery.
Stephen said: “Obesity is the number one issue that halts from many receiving a kidney transplant, so we are here to help those lose weight and stay motivated.
“Ultimately we concentrate on cycling. Cardiovascular exercise is crucial. Patients require to be in a minimal fitness level prior they undergo transplantation. We help patients with the necessary steps to improve their fitness.
“The NHS cannot deliver this support which is why there is a need for Return To Life.”
Return to Life is based at 95 Neilson Road in Paisley. Telephone 0141 889 8704 or visit their Facebook page @Return2LifeCycling