A DIALYSIS patient is set to participate in this year’s 42-mile Across Wales Walk as she seeks to prove that there is life after a chronic kidney disease diagnosis.

Becky Jane Carroll-Lees, 37, of Caersws is preparing to take on the challenge as she bids to raise awareness and funding for the charity Kidney Wales.

The gruelling journey sees participants walk continuously for 15 hours or more – starting in the early morning darkness and finishing after sun-down, with no significant rest periods in between.

The walk is organised by the Rotary Clubs of Newtown, Llanidloes and Machynlleth, who have dedicated this year’s walk to raising funds for Kidney Wales, thanks in part to the involvement of Becky Jane’s neighbour John Evans, who is chairman of the walk’s organising committee.

Becky Jane has chosen to participate in the walk on Saturday as a direct result of her life-changing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) diagnosis in 2016.

Unable to receive a transplant due to negative reactions to immunosuppressants, the medicines that lower the body’s ability to reject a transplanted organ, Becky Jane has had to face up to the challenge of regular bouts of dialysis to combat the effects of the disease. 

Discussing the impact that dialysis has had on her life, she said: “I was not prepared for the exhausting effect that my treatment would have on me."

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