Kidney Kids Scotland was founded as a Charitable Trust in 2000 and is the only Scottish Charity supporting children with renal illness and their families across Scotland. The main aim of the charity is to enable children to receive treatment as close to home as possible minimizing disruption to their family unit. We work closely and rely on the expertise of consultants, medical and welfare personnel to identify where help is most needed. The charity supports hospitals all over Scotland by supplying them with much needed equipment and funding for posts recognised as being essential. Our main focus goes to The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow as this is the centre of excellence for children with renal illness. It is the only hospital in Scotland to perform paediatric Haemodialysis and transplantation. In addition our Trustees believe that no family should have to worry unduly over financial problems while also worrying about a sick child. We therefore do our utmost to support these families in any way we can – this can often be a listening ear, putting them in contact with another family with similar problems or helping them with much needed financial assistance. Since the charities inception in July 2000 we have given well over 1.6 million directly towards the treatment of children in Scotland who suffer from renal/urology problems. End stage renal failure has no cure and the only way to prolong life is by treating with dialysis or transplantation. This is a disease the child and their family have to learn to live with. These families come from all over Scotland. Since 2009, we have held a family weekend for children and young people facing a transplant, which has proven to be a tremendous success. This is an opportunity for families and young people to find out more about their child’s illness, meet other families who understand and spend some quality time together. In 2015 this extended to also having a teenage weekend, helping them with the many challenges they face during this difficult time. Although kidney failure is rare it affects every aspect of a child’s life. Kidney disease has no cure and can only be treated with dialysis or transplantation.
