A WOKINGHAM man cycled from Edinburgh to Oxford to raise money for an organisation that supports living kidney donation.
Dennis Carver’s mammoth ride has raised more than £30,000 for transplant charity, Give A Kidney.
A donor himself, Mr Carver has only one kidney, having given the other to a stranger in 2021, someone he will never know or meet.
His organ was successfully transplanted into a new recipient’s body, and he was told only that it was working well.
Dennis recovered quickly, and after seven weeks 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.
However, 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,” Mr Carver said
He couldn’t offer his other kidney, so instead, he contacted Give A Kidney to see how he could raise both funds and public awareness of non directed 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.
Mr Carver had experience as a fundraising events organiser, so decided to set up a charity cycle ride.
“Most people don’t know that it’s possible to lead a normal life with just one kidney,” he said.
“Some people are born with just one, and do perfectly well, while others who donate to a loved one or friend, can happily carry on with one kidney afterwards.”
His Transplant Tour 2023 took in visits to seven transplant centres at hospitals along the way: 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.
Dennis and 12 other cyclists completed the six day cycle ride in difficult weather conditions, and smashed their fundrasing target for Give A Kidney.
“We’re over the moon,” said Mr Carver.
“We set a team goal of £20,000, and ended up raising £34,000, which will go a long way to helping the charity to promote their vision of ‘no waiting for a transplant for want of a kidney.’
At each of the hospitals, the group met staff and kidney recipients, relaying a baton between cyclists and recipients, some of whom rode parts of the journey.
“The baton was made by a friend, and its handover became symbolic of the giving and receiving of a kidney,” explained Mr Carver.
“Hearing how a transplant had transformed recipients’ lives was truly humbling.”
At Newcastle and Sheffield the group was greeted by the elected mayors of North of Tyne, and South Yorkshire.
“And it was such a highlight of the trip when they presented to us British bicycler and racer, and Olympic medal winner Ed Clancy OBE,” he said.
“The weather was awful, with four days of rain out of six, nevertheless, 12 of us did the whole ride and received a rapturous welcome at the end of the tour when we reached Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
“The charity we cycled for is a small one, but it punches above its weight when it comes to asking people to consider non-directed kidney donation.”
Mr Carver’s daughter Emma said: “We had amazing receptions at each of the hospitals, and the riders worked so hard, cycling long distances through wind and rain.
“Dad and the riders raised such a lot of money, and it’s really something to celebrate.”
The Transplant Tour, as well as raising funds and awareness, has given Dennis the perfect opportunity to encourage others to donate, and to prove that people can live life fully after donating a kidney.
For more information visit: www.giveakidney.org
