Kate Eckert

My Red Socks Run for Kidney Health

This October, I’m going to Red Socks Run on behalf of Ethan.

By walking 60km I want to raise awareness of the 60hrs that people affected by kidney disease need to spend on dialysis each month.

Please feel free to have a read below for a snapshot of our last 12 months to give some context as to why this means so much to us. 

Any small donation would mean the world!

Here’s the recap on Ethan’s year with Kidney disease …

This year has been one of mixed emotions, positives mixed with negatives. I’m late to the party in creating my page to fundraise this year as sometimes I like to live in denial! 

We’ve been lucky enough to have remission in terms of Ethan relapsing with his nephrotic syndrome since late August last year when he relapsed shortly after his Rituximab infusion. 

The Rituximab has done its job to help give his kidneys a reprieve which is a blessing. 

Our fears were however realised with what the Rituximab could do to his immune system. It smashed his system and he’s been sick for at least 3/4 of the year with little reprieve for the poor little bugger.

We saw the year out and the new year in with dangerously low nutrophil levels and blood counts, rhinovirus for him turned into pneumonia and sepsis. He even had to endure a bone marrow biopsy. New year in the WCH was just great!

He had a few months of health early in the year until April when his bloods again started to drop and haven’t recovered. He’s been hammered with infections often having two or three at a time and not being able to clear them as he doesn’t have the immune system to fight it at the moment. 

We’re grateful for the reprieve on the kidneys but now face the challenge of working with immunologists to try to find a solution to his low immunoglobulin and blood counts. 

Jase and I are so incredibly proud of Ethan while he has his moments where he asks “when can I go to the zoo mummy, cos I’m always sick mummy” for the most part this little dude is an absolute trooper, he just gets on with it. We’ve certainly made the most of the good times this year trying to focus on us and time together more than before which has been amazing. 

We’re also more aware than ever that we have an incredible village. Without both of our parents I don’t know what we would do. Mum, Dad, Jackie and Colin are the only reason we can function and keep our jobs, they fill a huge hole for us constantly jumping in to save us and help care for Ethan for which we are eternally grateful. 

In summary, this year has shown us that kidney disease is more than just the kidneys, its the effect on the whole body. Whilst we have had our battles and struggles this year we’re still well aware that we are still the lucky ones compared to many others fighting with kidney disease. 

Here’s to raising some money to help research and fund the incredible programs provided by KHA. 

Thank you all for your support xx