Along with supporting its members, including patients and their wider families, the charity also provides information, peer support and trips out for those receiving treatment.
Despite the charity’s success, co-founder Tsanou is currently waiting for a kidney and pancreas transplant.
She currently undergoes dialysis three times a week, after having spent time in hospital with a collapsed lung, sepsis and pneumonia.
“My life is on hold while I wait for a transplant,” she said.
“Dialysis becomes your routine and can be incredibly challenging, but starting the charity has given us a purpose. If we can make someone else’s journey a little easier, then everything we’ve done has been worthwhile.”
The idea for the charity came after Michaela and Sofia attended a National Kidney Federation meeting and realised Bradford was one of the few areas without an active kidney patient association after its previous group folded.
Smith said: “People living with kidney disease need more than medical treatment.
“They need someone to talk to, someone who understands and someone who can point them in the right direction. We wanted to rebuild that support network for Bradford.”
