Portsmouth Phoenix held a bingo night on Friday 18 February at The Dockyard pub in Portsmouth, raising £615. Over 100 people attended and helped support VIP (Very Important Phoenix) Alisha Gokani, the reason why Portsmouth Phoenix chose to support Kidney Care UK.
Alisha was diagnosed with a rare condition when she was a child that resulted in her kidneys failing when she was 7. She had a transplant aged 13 after her mum donated one of her kidneys but this failed when she was at university. She has been on dialysis for the last four years but has been able to return to university to continue her studies and also be a part of the cheerleading club.
Alisha commented: "We decided to support Kidney Care UK as it is a charity that actually cares for people. Kidney failure is often chronic, meaning people suffer from the condition over a long period of time whilst most of the time there is no direct cure, other than a transplant which is a life-long treatment. It’s so important that those with kidney failure have a sense of community through their journey and Kidney Care UK do just that with the emotional, practical and financial support they provide.”
Hannah Brown, RAG and Events Secretary, said: “the night was a huge success, it was amazing to see so many faces from both the University and the public supporting such a great cause. Thank you to everyone who came, to our Vice President Tayah Kalli and Club Captain Olivia Meakes helping with the event organisation and our Welfare Secretary Meg Higgins my amazing co-host.”
Laura Toop, Community Fundraising Manager at Kidney Care UK, said: “We can’t thank Alisha and Portsmouth Phoenix cheerleading society enough for their generosity. There are three million people with kidney disease across the UK right now, and thanks to this donation we will be able to support more people who need us.”