Rebecca Geddis

My name is Rebecca, in the last few weeks I have taken on the role of caring for NIKPA facebook page.  I am the daughter of a renal patient, Alan Martin.  My late Father was one of the founding members of NIKPA and I want to continue his work by making a difference for renal patients.

Dad developed kidney failure when I was 2 years old.   He had 2 failed transplants, after the first one the idea for NIKPA came into being.   10 years later Dad had a successful transplant which turned our lives around!!!

Thanks to my parents I never saw my Dad having kidney failure as negatively impacting my life. I have many fond memories of helping my Mum and Dad with the NIKPA newsletter, Christmas Eves in the old dialysis unit, and feeling so grown up when I got to go the hospital shop on my own all the way from the 11^th floor of the BCH tower.  Over the coming months and years, I will share some of these memories with you.

One lasting memory I have is going to the British Transplant Games with my family and the NI team.  There I was blown away by the sense of community and lust for life. I learnt to let my hair down and have fun without worrying what other people thought (even if I have no rhythm on the dance floor).

NIKPA is all about you, the patients and your families, the nurses and doctors who care for you, and everyone else in the background that make renal services in Northern Ireland what they are today.  To that end, I want this Facebook page to be all about you!  I want to know what you want to talk about, let’s share ideas, recipes, events and anything else you think would be of interest to other people in the group.   I am activating NIKPAs FB messenger for you to contact me with your ideas and suggestions.

In these difficult times we all need some company, support and a sense of community.  I hope I can help provide that for you through this FB page by giving you a place to chat.