One in a million (well 1.5 million to be exact)

We are living through some of the most difficult times we have ever known and you will all have been watching the news anxiously to see what will come next. This is going to be and already is tough for people with health problems, including those with kidney disease.

Whether we have CKD, another kidney disease, dialysis or a transplant we have a high risk of becoming seriously ill if we catch the coronavirus. For many of us this means going into isolation for at least the next 12 weeks to give us the best chance we have of avoiding the virus. I know you’re scared. I am scared too. But I know that many of us have already been strong to be here now. That’s why we can do this. When my kidneys failed I was worried about going on dialysis, but all those hours of dialysis for all those years taught me patience, and it will be the same for many of you.

Our message to the public is to support people like us so we don’t become sick. Please help those of us with transplants to keep our gift of life and shield all of us by staying at home and not spreading infection. Keep us safe, protect the NHS and wash your hands.

What are we doing at the charity?

Every day a small team of us looks at your questions, research the latest updates, ask for, receive, and discuss guidance and developments with our medical colleagues. These are the senior doctors, nurses, pharmacists and many others supporting our kidney services. We turn this into information for you and we recommend you read it carefully before calling your very stretched renal units. Of course if you are poorly and need personal medical advice you must speak to the unit.

Our advocacy team are all working from home and can still give you assistance via email and the phone.

You can find out about all our patient services and see the latest coronavirus info on the website.

For peer support we have a very active closed Facebook group where you will receive lots of support from the 9,000 plus members, or follow us on twitter or instagram.

We know you have lots of questions but we are here to help you. We are all in this together and if we stay together we will get through it.