Tegan was born with a serious condition affecting her kidneys. Both failed, by her early twenties. And the outlook wasn’t good – until she received the very best gift.  

Her mum donated a kidney to Tegan, saving her life. Since the transplant, Tegan has been able to live her life to the full – even becoming a mother to a beautiful boy.

“Kidney failure can make it harder to have children, so we felt very lucky to welcome little Archer into our family. We cherish every moment together.”

We urgently need your help to fund more research. By donating now, you could give patients that most precious of gifts – time with their loved ones.  

Medical advances like transplants are only possible through research. And more kidney research is urgently needed, as Tegan’s future is still very uncertain.

Even with a new kidney, the life expectancy of a transplant patient is much lower than average. They’re much more likely to develop heart disease and cancer.   

And transplanted kidneys only last for a limited time. At 29, Tegan faces the prospect of having at least one more transplant in her life – much to her concern.  

“I really don’t know if I could do that again. Where would the new kidney come from? My parents won’t be suitable donors and the waiting lists are so long.”  

Transplants come with limitations and side effects, like every treatment. They might save lives, but they don’t restore health, yet - not even close.

Please will you donate today and help fund research into treatments that could give patients the best quality of life – instead of just keeping them alive?

Your donation could support researchers like Dr Wai Lim, Head of the Department of Renal Medicine and Transplantation at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

“Thanks to funding from the Foundation, I’m investigating why cancer is so common after a kidney transplant and how it can be prevented.”

Dr Lim is also looking at how to make a patient’s new kidney last longer – saving them from going back onto the waiting list for another gruelling transplant.  

We need your help to fund more research like Dr Lim’s, into developing better treatments and giving patients longer, better quality lives. Please, donate now. 

This Christmas, you could help give patients more quality time with their loved ones. And for Tegan and her family, that really would be the best gift of all.

Donate Now.