Mum who donated a kidney to daughter puts her trainers back on and takes on Nation Radio Cardiff 10K for Kidney Wales

Mum who donated a kidney to daughter puts her trainers back on and takes on Nation Radio Cardiff 10K for Kidney Wales

A Student Support Officer from the Swansea Valleys has signed up for the annual Nation Radio Cardiff 10K to raise money for event organiser Kidney Wales, after donating a kidney to her daughter last October.

Amanda Howells has run for the charity ever since her daughter Jaz was diagnosed with kidney disease at the age of 13. Following the diagnosis, she made it her mission to support Kidney Wales in every way possible and has run various marathons for the charity, as well as taking part in its Walk for Life.

In 2016 it was confirmed that Jaz needed to start dialysis as her kidney function had deteriorated to 10%. A few months after starting dialysis she developed an infection and ended up in intensive care.

Amanda said: “Jaz ended up in intensive care and they had to put her into an induced coma – we nearly lost her twice during this time and it was a terrible experience for us all. Jaz defied all the odds and made it out of ITU after a four week stay and spent another two months in hospital recovering from her ordeal.”

At this time, it became clear that Jaz was in desperate need of a new kidney. Live organ donation was set in motion, a long process that is filled with compatibility tests. Luckily results came back and showed that Amanda was the ideal donor for her daughter. Jaz’s kidney function normalised within the first couple of hours after receiving her mum’s kidney.

Now that Jaz’s health has improved following the operation, and after two years of standing on the side-lines, Amanda has decided to put her trainers back on and run for Kidney Wales again.

Despite struggling to get back into fitness after the transplant, Amanda has been more determined than ever and is currently training three times a week to get ready for the 10K run in Cardiff on the 2^nd of September, which she is entering with two teams of colleagues.

Amanda said: “Running for this charity has really helped me over the years and I highly recommend it. Besides running for a good cause and feeling that I’m giving back to Kidney Wales, it has also given me something to focus on. It’s just been really good for my mind and has kept me going over the last decade.”

Although daughter Jaz is not able to enter this year’s run, she hopes that by next year she can join her mum and participate in the 2K Family Fun Run, which takes place shortly before the 10K race.

Kidney Wales CEO, Professor Roy Thomas, said: “Amanda’s story is inspirational. To go through a kidney transplant and the following year carry on fundraising for others living with kidney disease shows Amanda’s incredible dedication.

“All money raised by the event goes a long way to supporting our activities – just £105 could help a young patient and their family attend a social event organised by Kidney Wales to give them a day of normality, whilst £625 could help fund a social worker at the Children’s Kidney Centre to give comfort and support to families as they learn to live and cope with their diagnosis.”

Since its launch in 1986, nearly 50,000 runners have taken part in the Kidney Wales Cardiff 10k with just under £2 million raised for Kidney Wales and other local causes, with the run becoming one of Cardiff’s biggest annual events.

Alongside the Nation Radio 10K, the charity presents numerous fundraising opportunities throughout the year, including nationwide Walk for Life events and the chance to represent the charity at multiple marathons and half-marathons across Wales.

Anyone interested in joining Amanda in the Nation Radio Cardiff 10K can sign up at: https://www.cardiff10k.cymru/cardiff-10k/preregister2018/