About

Living with kidney disease… together

We’ve been living with kidney disease for the last six years.

And one thing became clear very quickly,
it doesn’t just affect the person with the diagnosis.

It reaches into everything.

Relationships.
Family life.
Work.
Plans.
Energy.
Everyday routines.

Sometimes loudly.
Sometimes quietly.
But always widely.

When “carry on as normal” didn’t feel possible

At the beginning, a consultant told John to carry on as usual.

He explained that kidney failure would likely come within three years,
and that the best thing we could do was live life in the meantime.

It was calm, sensible advice.

But “carry on as normal” didn’t quite fit.

Not because we didn’t want to,
but because something had already shifted.

So we did what many families do.

We tried to understand it.
We tried to get ahead of it.
We tried to do something.

Everything we could think of

We researched constantly.

We followed kidney specialists, nutritionists and patient groups.
We read medical papers, joined forums, and spoke to people across the world.

We listened to advice that ranged from highly credible… to fairly questionable.

We explored diets - renal, low protein, keto, low carb.
Supplements. Specific drinks.
Chinese medicine.
Yoga. Meditation. Breathing techniques.
Fitness. Rest. Mindset. Even the Wim Hof method (cold water).

There’s very little we didn’t look into, or try.

And all of this happened alongside normal life…
family, work, running a business.

Because kidney disease doesn’t pause everything else.

When theory becomes reality

In the end, the consultant was right.

Almost exactly three years later, John reached kidney failure.

We moved into home dialysis - machines, water systems, schedules that quietly took over the house.

When that became unsustainable,
we moved into hospital dialysis instead.

None of it was easy.

But none of it broke us.

Why The Kidney Chapter exists

This space has grown out of that experience.

Because while kidney disease can feel all-consuming at times, it is still only one part of a life.

And it’s a part that’s easier to carry when it’s shared.

We’re not here to offer fixes.
Or tell anyone how their journey should look.

We’re here to share how it has actually felt to live it —
the practical realities, the emotional weight,
the frustration, the resilience, the humour,
and the moments of steadiness that appear along the way.

You’re not the only one

If kidney disease has entered your life in any form —
as a patient, donor, partner, parent, child, sibling or friend —
you are part of this chapter too.

Not the same chapter.
But a shared one.

And whatever you’re carrying,
you don’t have to carry it alone.

John, Lindsey and Lorna