13-year-old from Rutland with kidney failure cycling 1,000 miles for charity
Charlie will virtually ride from Land's End to John o'Groats
Last updated 18th Feb 2023
A 13-year-old from Rutland waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant is virtually cycling over 1,000 miles in 2023 to raise money for charity.
Charlie, who has Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), can't be more than three hours away from hospital - so is riding, walking, and running the distance of Lands End to John O Groats.
He says he's been dedicating some of his miles to those who've received a new transplant, or who have donated a kidney:
'People let me know if they've had a transplant, and my mum will make a tweet saying "these miles are for..." and then put their name, and say "well done on your transplant" or something like that.'
He added: 'I like the fresh air against my face when I'm cycling, it helps me forget about my CKD for a while...'
'So far I've raised over £1,200 for Kidney Research UK.'
'No teenage boy should be in his situation'
Charlie was diagnosed with CKD when he was just 8 years old, a condition which causes kidneys to malfunction, and which led Charlie's kidneys to stop working when he turned 11.
He's been waiting on the NHS transplant list for over a year, and has 10 hours life-saving dialysis treatment every night.
His mum, Melina, has to sleep in his room during that time - a situation no teenage boy should have to find themselves in, his parents say.
'Kidney Research invited him to speak to two researchers, and there was one lady who was extremely passionate about the inequalities in paediatric organ donation and kidney transplantation', Melina said.
'...She's looking to get funding at the moment, and Charlie said he just wanted to do anything he can to put money towards that.'
She added: 'The transplant list has now gone up to two years. Charlie actually said to us that, if he doesn't get his transplant this year, he will suspend himself from the waiting list so he can travel up to Scotland to finish his challenge properly.'
So far, Charlie's raised nearly £1,300 for Kidney Research UK, almost two-thirds of his target.
View Charlie's Kidney Warrior Challenge fundraising page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/charlies-kidney-warrior-challenge-2023