World Kidney Day March 13 2008

Kidneys are a part of the human body, but do we really know how important they are? Today is World Kidney Day. We decided to investigate what events are being held locally to promote the day.

The kidney is a complex organ which plays an important role in the human body, filtering and cleaning the blood of toxins. Without them many people would die. The lives of 3 million people in the UK are under threat from chronic kidney disease.

Every 90 minutes someone in the UK is diagonosed with kidney cancer. 40,000 people are undergoing dialysis or transplant treatment for kidney failure. It is estimated that in excess of 13,000 people die each year of illnesses and conditions which affect the kidneys.

We asked Dr. Jennie Jewitt-Harris how she felt when she took part in saving the life of a Ghanian boy named Felix.

Knowing he had his life back was amazing

Dr. Jennie Jewitt-Harris - Chairperson and Chief Executive - Transplant Links Community

Felix was in need of an urgent kidney transplant. As the cost of the surgery was too expensive for the family to afford. The Transplant Links Community, a charity dedicated to saving lives through kidney transplantation in developing countries, decided to allow Felix to have the surgery take place here in England. We spoke to the Chairperson and Chief Executive, Dr. Jennie Jewitt-Harris, who witnessed the operation.