ABOUT US

The British Kidney Patient Association was founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Ward, whose son Timbo was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 13 years. At that time there was no national association concerned with the plight of Britain’s kidney patients, many of whom were struggling to survive bitter blows to their health, pride and finances by the need for thrice-weekly dialysis and the loss of their jobs. Now kidney patients, young and old, know that they can turn to the BKPA for support, advice and, perhaps more importantly, financial help and a much needed break with their families.


The work of the BKPA falls roughly into two halves engendered by two quite separate needs; on the one hand the material and physical needs of the patients and their relatives and on the other the necessity to lobby for more and improved facilities and increased Governmental funding so that all patients may benefit from improvements in technology and pharmaceutical achievements. At the same time it is necessary to create through the media, awareness of the need for kidney donors and all problems resulting from the lack of them.

[Right] Some of the children whose families have been helped by the BKPA.

It takes a very special kind of courage to be able to face some four hours treatment on a kidney machine, three times a week, week after week, month after month, knowing that without that treatment death will shortly follow. Despite the willingness on the part of the dialysis patient to pull their weight in the community, it is sadly very seldom that the patient is physically able to continue with the same employment at the same salary as he had before his illness. In such circumstances it is very often the unpaid electricity bill which is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.

It also takes a very special kind of courage to face life again on dialysis after the loss of the freedom that a successful transplant ensures. There are many hundreds of dialysis patients on the current transplant list, many of whom will die on dialysis before their transplant call comes. The BKPA with the support of more than half the adult population in the country, is calling for Opting-Out legislation so that the kidneys of all those who have not registered their dissent may be used in life saving transplant operations on the assumption that they were willing to donate their organs after death.

A Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee No. 270288