A LOCAL cyclist is raising money and awareness for organisation that supports living organ donation.
Dennis Carver’s cycle ride event is in aid of charity, Give A Kidney, and he’s looking for capable cyclists to join him.
Called The Transplant Tour, the route, later this year, will see riders travelling from Edinburgh to Oxford, covering almost 500 miles in six days.
And despite having only one kidney himself, Transplant Tour organiser Dennis will be among them.
“I donated my other kidney in 2021 to a stranger,” he says.
“I had heard about organ donation on the radio, but for a while I was too busy to act upon it.
“Then, when I became semi-retired, I had the opportunity, and went ahead.”
Dennis has no idea who received his kidney.
“I’m fine with not knowing,” he says.
“It was just nice to hear one of the nurses saying to me the day afterwards that it was in the recipient and working well.”
Dennis recovered quickly, and seven weeks later was able to return to his regular 35 mile bike rides.
People whose kidneys are not working properly, and who don’t have a family member or friend able to donate one, rely on dialysis to remove waste products and excess fluid from their blood.
“Some may receive a kidney from a person who has died, while others can be given one by someone living,” Dennis says.
“But not everyone is fortunate enough to have a transplant.
“Donating made me want to help more, because every day two people die for lack of a kidney.”
Dennis couldn’t offer his other kidney, so instead, he contacted Give A Kidney, a charity that aims to raise awareness of nondirected living kidney donation.
This is when a healthy person decides to donate an organ, usually a kidney, to an unknown recipient.
The organ is given as a gift, without expecting any return, and there are no connections between the donor and transplant recipient.
Dennis drew on his experience as a fundraising events organiser, to help Give A Kidney, by setting up a charity cycle ride, The Transplant Tour.
As well as raising funds and awareness, it gives him the perfect vehicle to prove that people can live life fully after donating a kidney.
“Most people don’t know that it’s possible to lead a normal life with just one,” he says.
“Indeed some people are born with just one, while others who donate to a loved one or friend, can happily carry on with one kidney afterwards.”
“It doesn’t debilitate me in any way.”
Dennis is now in the process of recruiting up to 30 riders to join him on the cycle ride, plus support crew.
During the 500 mile ride the riders will visit seven of the UK’s 23 transplant centres: The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh; The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle; St James Hospital, Leeds; The Northern General Hospital, Sheffield; Manchester Royal Infirmary; Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham; and The Churchill Hospital Oxford.
“It’s a fair way to cycle, but I’ve done other longer charity rides in the past, so the distances don’t bother me,” Dennis says.
“I have around 10 people signed up, and I’m looking for another 20 strong cyclists to join me.
“We’ll travel around 83 miles on average, each day, with two or three breaks.”
Dennis says that being well prepared and trained are very important, and to take part, riders will need to train hard, be fit enough, and be aged 18 or over.
The cost of participation is £675, and cyclists must commit to raising a minimum of £1000 for the charity.
The Transplant Tour will take place from Sunday,17 to Friday, 22 September, and will coincide with Organ Donation Week UK.
For more information about the event, and to apply, people should visit: www.funraisingtours.co.uk
For information about Give A Kidney, visit: www.giveakidney.org
World Kidney Day is on Thursday, March 9 – for more information, visit: www.worldkidneyday.org/2023
And for information about Organ Donation Week UK, visit: www.organdonation.nhs.uk
