Kidney Matters - Issue 7 Autumn 2019
Kidney Matters is our free quarterly magazine for everyone affected by kidney disease. This issue includes a delicious mexico bean nacho recipe from our Kidney Kitchen as well as articles about dialysis away from base, kidney stones, and a feature on looking out for children and young people with kidney disease. We know that being a kidney patient can be tough at times and that accessing the right help at the right time isn’t always easy. We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past year talking to kidney patients on dialysis, asking them what we can do to address this. The response was overwhelmingly ‘improved communication’ on what is going on in the kidney world and what is available to them in terms of support and how to access it. Kidney Matters has been developed to tackle this as well as the many other issues kidney patients face in day-to-day life. Along with shared patient experiences, Kidney Matters provides on how to access emotional and practical support, financial assistance through our grant schemes, advice from leading kidney specialists and tips on how to keep as well as possible by eating a healthy diet whilst on dialysis.
Kidney Matters is our free quarterly magazine for everyone affected by kidney disease.
This issue includes a delicious mexico bean nacho recipe from our Kidney Kitchen as well as articles about dialysis away from base, kidney stones, and a feature on looking out for children and young people with kidney disease.
We know that being a kidney patient can be tough at times and that accessing the right help at the right time isn’t always easy. We’ve spent a great deal of time over the past year talking to kidney patients on dialysis, asking them what we can do to address this. The response was overwhelmingly ‘improved communication’ on what is going on in the kidney world and what is available to them in terms of support and how to access it.
Kidney Matters has been developed to tackle this as well as the many other issues kidney patients face in day-to-day life. Along with shared patient experiences, Kidney Matters provides on how to access emotional and practical support, financial assistance through our grant schemes, advice from leading kidney specialists and tips on how to keep as well as possible by eating a healthy diet whilst on dialysis.
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38<br />
Action, interaction and life-long<br />
friendships at the Mount Cook<br />
young adults’ activity weekend<br />
Every year <strong>Kidney</strong> Care UK supports an activity weekend away for young adult kidney<br />
patients. At these events, young adults get to take part in outdoors challenges, art<br />
and music group events, workshops and have the opportunity to talk to professionals<br />
about any issues they may have. They also enjoy themselves, often until the wee small<br />
hours, having fun and making friendships that last for years.<br />
We felt extremely privileged to attend Mount Cook<br />
activity weekend in Derbyshire and share time and<br />
experiences with the lovely young adult kidney<br />
patients (aged 18 to 30). We would like to acknowledge<br />
the hard work of the peer workers who essentially<br />
arranged and led the weekend. These are previous<br />
attendees who having reached the ‘cut-off’ age and<br />
now support the event as volunteers. Also, praise for<br />
the incredible renal staff who commit to this project,<br />
many of them on a regular basis.<br />
It was so rewarding to see how worthwhile this event<br />
truly is. The comradeship, support, growth and zest<br />
for life that is shared at the event is hard to capture in<br />
words. We witnessed how valuable it can be to have<br />
an opportunity for young adults to network and share<br />
understanding with others who ‘get their journey.’<br />
On our return to the office we were asked, ‘did you<br />
enjoy yourself … did you have a good time?’ Hmmm …<br />
yes it was enjoyable but much more importantly it was<br />
humbling, amazing and definitely worthwhile!<br />
The weekend made us just stop and contemplate the<br />
obstacles and uncertainties these young adults face<br />
in their lives that many of us take for granted. We were<br />
approached by a number of attendees who wanted to<br />
express how grateful they were for the help they have<br />
received from <strong>Kidney</strong> Care UK and the changes this<br />
had made to their lives, which is made possible by our<br />
generous supporters. Suffice it to say that we came<br />
away with much to think about but top of our list is<br />
‘long may it continue.’<br />
Article by Jackie Pilcher<br />
<strong>Kidney</strong> Care UK, Renal<br />
Councellor<br />
kidneycareuk.org
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