I had a bad Acute Kidney Injury episode in 2013 aged 50 and a kidney transplant in October 2021. 

I am grateful for my transplant; it has made an enormous difference. Immediately after my transplant, I felt less nausea and my body felt cleaner. 

Although the full benefits on my health took a while to materialise, I gradually felt better after a good eighteen months or so. I worked on improving my fitness, and I found I could do more around the house. After about 18 months I managed to move furniture and undertake a proper spring clean. After all that time the cleaning was necessary. This summer I have even started feeling well enough to start tackling some of the tougher gardening jobs and undertaking some house maintenance. 

I am aware I still need to improve my fitness further, and as I struggle with walking because of arthritis in my feet and ankles, I am thinking about how I can get back on my push bike to improve my mobility. 

I retired in 2022 to give myself more opportunities to get fit and enjoy improving my health. I went on holiday to Skye last year which I thoroughly enjoyed, and this year went to Orkney and the Outer Hebrides. I also went abroad for the first time in years to a music festival in Denmark and managed to do a bit of dancing. 

Living with kidney disease brings its challenges, but thanks to my transplant I am enjoying trying to find the balance between getting involved, staying independent and having fun.