There are two reasons why today is an important day for everyone at Westfield Health.
Firstly, today marks World Kidney Day.
We were recently delighted to announce a donation of £2,000 to Kidney Research UK on behalf of the Kidney Charities Together Group. This donation will help to increase the profile of the World Kidney Day 2016 campaign in the UK – an annual event which educates people about the problems that a multitude of people face on a daily basis.
Every year, on the second Thursday in March, kidney charities, healthcare professionals, patient groups and individuals come together to try and make a difference by holding awareness activities across the country.
This year’s campaign is all about raising awareness of kidney disease, focusing on how it affects children in particular. Kidney disease is something that affects more than three million people in the UK and every year more than 60,000 people are being treated for end stage kidney failure either through dialysis or transplants.
Early detection can make all the difference so it is crucial that children with inborn or genetic disorders are helped as soon as possible, and by raising awareness and encouraging a healthy lifestyle from a young age, children and their families can learn how to deal with the problems they face.
And secondly today marks another important milestone in our calendar.
Today it is exactly 140 days to go until the start of the Westfield Health British Transplant Games 2016.
We’re delighted to be the main sponsor for the Games again this year, which will take place in Liverpool in July.
Since 2008, when Westfield Health began supporting the Games, they have continued to grow to be bigger and better. Last year, around 850 competitors and 2,500 spectators attended – a record number that will hopefully be broken this year.
The Games are always a great success, but we can’t forget the reasons behind them. Every day people are struggling with life threatening illnesses, such as kidney disease, that require organ transplants.
Through our support of the Games I’ve personally met a number of people who have suffered with chronic kidney disease and they’ve told me about how it has affected their lives. Anything that we can do to raise the profile of this condition is a positive step, and that’s why we’re really proud to be supporting both World Kidney Day in the UK and the British Transplant Games.
I hope we inspire others to get behind these initiatives too and that this year’s campaign for each cause is the best to date. I look forward to supporting both as much as we can and doing our bit to encourage more people to give the gift of life by signing up to the Organ Donor Register.