Gerald joined Merthyr Tydfil Dialysis Support Group on a charity walk to raise funds for Kidney Foundation Wales.

The walk from Rhydycar to Abercanaid and back was to raise awareness of Kidney foundation Wales and some of the issues that Dialysis patients and their families face.

Cases of reported Kidney disease have increased in recent years and there has never been a greater demand for renal services. This has been driven by demographic change with the population becoming older and living longer and also the increasing frequency of chronic heart disease and diabetes.  Approximately 1 in 10 people have some form of kidney disease ranging from very mild to severe and 1 in 50 -100 have moderate to severe kidney disease. Of these 1 in 1000 cases develop end stage renal failure and require either dialysis or transplantation.

Along with activists from Merthyr Tydfil Dialysis support group, Gerald walked two miles from Rhydycar Sports centre to Abercanaid and back to raise vital, life-saving funds to make a difference to the lives of patients suffering from kidney disease in Welsh communities.

Tina Hathaway, a local member of Merthyr Tydfil Dialysis support group was pleased that Gerald joined them on the walk.

“We were happy to have Gerald’s support generally and him joining us on our walk this week. We’re really keen to get the message out there that people need to be aware about the effects that Kidney diseases have on people and their families.”

Gerald said;

“It was a pleasure to join members of Merthyr Tydfil Dialysis Support Group to raise much needed funds for Kidney Foundation Wales but also to help raise awareness of the challenges facing dialysis patients. The more awareness we have the better the chance we have of identifying sufferers and providing the right support for patient’s families.”