Hello, I’m Kathryn.  I received a kidney from my dad on 9^th May 2013, having been diagnosed with kidney failure in 1998, aged 13.  I had been ill with Henoch Schonlein Purpura and this caused my kidneys to fail.  I was admitted to Great Ormond Street hospital in London who did an amazing job of caring for me.  I had to have plasma exchange, dialysis and lots of different medications.  They managed to get my kidneys back up to working at around 40%.  Over the next 14 years my kidneys gradually got worse and I ended up on dialysis while my dad was tested to make sure he was fit enough to donate to me.  His gift of life has turned my life around and I am now able to live my life to the full.  I work with children so this keeps me very busy.

I am passionate about organ donation and encouraging people to sign the organ donor register.  I have made some amazing friends since having my transplant and would not be here without the amazing people and families that spoke about and signed the organ donor register.