South Eastern Kidney Patients Association

01/12/2025

According to Share Your Wishes charity there are 6000+ adults & children waiting for a kidney transplant. Many will die whilst waiting.....

Today on this Black Friday, there are some Gifts that money just can't buy.

Let’s put it into perspective, so currently as of 28 November 2025, the following number of people are currently active on the transplant list here in the U.K. .

6.735 people are waiting for a kidney
5 people are waiting for a pancreas
346 people are waiting for a kidney and pancreas
22 people are waiting for a pancreas islet
283 people are waiting for a heart
181 people are waiting for a lung
10 people are waiting for a heart & lung
631 people are waiting for a liver
11 people are waiting for an intestinal
37 people are waiting for a multi transplant

Therefore, according to NHS Organ Donation statistics, there are currently as of 27 November 2025 8261 people are waiting on the active list for a transplant in the UK.

These numbers are those people on the 'active list' so do not include those waiting but temporarily suspended from that active list.

Please about your decisions with your loved ones, say and register your decision at NHS Organ Donation

20/11/2025

28/10/2025

Are you a transplant patient who has been affected by skin cancer?

Dr Matthew Bottomley from Oxford wants to better understand the real-life experiences of those who have experienced skin cancer after transplant.

If this is part of your journey, your voice could help shape the support and information patients receive in the future.

He is arranging an online focus group to be held in November to explore patient perspectives, co-develop content, and bridge the gap in knowledge.(Exact date and time to be confirmed)

Your lived experience matters—and could make a lasting impact.

Interested?
Please contact us at: patients@kidneyresearchuk.org

13/10/2025

Our October newsletter is now out!

You can read what the charity has been up to here.
https://mailchi.mp/3f023cea4092/sekpa-newsletter

30/09/2025

You can now sign up to receive a digital copy of our newsletter straight to your inbox!

Just visit our website

09/09/2025

Amazing story from our very own Jack Cogman, former chairman of SEKPA and our current Secretary!

82-year-old Jack used to be Chair of the South Eastern Kidney Patients Association , until recently.
Jack shares with us how his sister shared her spare kidney with him 11 years ago:

“When my one remaining kidney deteriorated rapidly in 2012, my only thoughts were ‘what did I do wrong and how can I feel better?’

I was put on haemodialysis and as I started to improve, I felt more about thinking of the future. The obvious option was to have a kidney transplant, but should I go on the waiting list, or should I try for a live transplant?

At the time, I was 71 and I knew that you could wait for many years for a deceased donor, by which time I would be older and less fit.

So, I decided to go for a living donor in the first place. Fortunately, my family had recently discussed the possibility of kidney donation several times. The fact that my wife and sister were retired nurses probably helped.

Both my wife and sister offered to donate a kidney, which was wonderful, and even our son offered to donate. We discounted his offer as he had only just married and had his life ahead on him.

My wife was tested for suitability, and it was found that one of her kidneys was much larger than the other. This made the donation of a kidney a non-starter, since it was likely that only one of the kidneys was functioning properly. Equivalent tests on my sister were far more satisfactory, but there was another problem. Her husband opposed any idea of her donating an organ. His argument was “You would be having a major operation that could permanently damage your health when there is no reason to do so. Why take an unnecessary risk?”

My sister was determined to go ahead but did not want to upset him, so she asked their two sons whether they would donate a kidney to their brother if it was needed. Both replied that of course they would.

Fortunately, that persuaded my brother-in-law that donating a kidney was not such a bad idea in the circumstances. The rest of my sister’s tests went well and in 2014, one of her kidneys was successfully transplanted to myself.

I am now 82, and both my sister and I are doing well. For that selfless act of donating one of her kidneys 11 years ago, I have been and always will be forever grateful.”

Please about your decisions with your loved ones, say and register your decision at NHS Organ Donation

01/09/2025

Our very own Richard Goldring attended this years World Transplant Games Federation!

World Transplant Games, supported by the International Olympic Committee, represents the largest organ donor awareness event in the world, and featured a week of 17 sporting events. Team Great Britain, the largest team of 266 athletes, joined 1400 other transplant athletes from 50 countries across the globe. The GB Team included 25 junior athletes and 16 live donor athletes, supported by Donor and Live Donor families. The transplant athletes have had heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, multi visceral and stem cell transplants. Team GB was accompanied by a further 350+ supporters including the management team

Lynne Holt, Team Manager and Patron of Transplant Sport said: “The World Transplant Games are a great opportunity for our transplant athletes to compete at an international level, to share their stories and inspire people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register. The event was also an ideal opportunity for the German hosts to promote organ donation producing a new Donor card. Competing at the British and World Transplant Games would not be possible without the generosity of the organ donors who ensure that these athletes can demonstrate the benefits of lifesaving transplantation.”

Team GB took the lead in the medal table, achieving oner 400 medals (173 gold, 132 silver, and 98 bronze), followed by Team Germany (187 participants) with 74 gold, 74 silver, and 57 bronze medals, and then Team USA (110 participants) with 56 gold, 40 silver and 50 bronze medals
At the Closing Ceremony, The “Baton of Life” has now been symbolically passed on to Leuven (Belgium), where the next World Transplant Games will take place in 2027.

More than 8,000 people in the UK are currently waiting for a transplant and sadly, people die waiting! But with only 59% per cent of the UK population registered as organ donors, and a relative refusal rate of 43%, more work needs to be done to raise awareness of donation and to urge those on the donor register to share their wishes with their loved ones.

22/08/2025

Our Chairman Richard has been busy scooping medals at the World Transplant Games.

Here he is with Lewis sporting their collection of medals - Lewis (R) with three bronze and Richard (L) with his silver and bronze.

Congratulations to everyone who has been participating!

World Transplant Games Federation NKF - National Kidney Federation Kidney Care UK

12/08/2025

The NKF Annual Event is returning this October!

The NKF Annual Event will be held at the Hilton Hotel, East Midlands Airport, DE74 2YZ, from 11 - 12 October 2025. The Main event day this year is on a Sunday.

On Saturday evening NKF will kick things off with hot buffet and a fun quiz, followed by the main event on Sunday, full of kidney updates and progress. NKF have an incredible line-up of guest speakers that will cover a wide range of topics including…

Making the most of your new kidney

Dialysis Society

Living donor information

The lows and highs of dialysis as a young adult

Renal diet information

IgA Nephropathy and Vifor’s patient campaign

Paediatric renal social worker for EMEESY Children’s Kidney Network

Frailty and fatigue

Home dialysis and peer support

Further information about the event and prices can be found on the NKF website:

www.kidney.org.uk/Event/nkf-annual-event-2025

12/07/2025

Our new SEKPA postcards arrived and will be placed around the renal units. Richard our Chairman will also be at the Brighton Unit this Tuesday for a meet the team! ☺️

17/04/2025

It was fantastic to hear from the amazing Sarah Jones last night from https://www.shareyourwishes.co.uk

Sarah is an incredible lady and her mission is to improve organ donation rates and ensure that the right information is available.

3 people die in the U.K every day waiting for an organ transplant and there are currently around 6800 waiting for that lifesaving call.

24/01/2025

SEKPA donated 26 blankets to patients undergoing dialysis over the Christmas period.

These blankets were greatfully received by the fantastic team to distribute.

You can find out more about SEKPA and the work we do via our website - www.SEKPA.org