Teenage Georgia taking a walk to help fight ‘silent disease’

A 14-year-old girl with kidney failure will walk 18 miles to the hospital that cared for her to raise awareness of her illness.
14-year-old Georgia pictured with her mum Zoe White and grandma Angie White who are doing the walk with her.14-year-old Georgia pictured with her mum Zoe White and grandma Angie White who are doing the walk with her.
14-year-old Georgia pictured with her mum Zoe White and grandma Angie White who are doing the walk with her.

Georgia Bedford was diagnosed with the condition in January, and has been told she will need a kidney transplant at some point in her life.

Mum Zoe said: “I thought she had appendicitis because she started with stomach pains.

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“When we took her to the doctors, they said she’d had an asthma attack.

“Two weeks after that she wasn’t getting any better, but the weight was dropping off her.

“She lost four stone and she couldn’t eat, she felt so sick constantly. The doctors thought she had an eating disorder.

“But we got a blood test done and within hours we were asked to go straight into hospital.”

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High levels of creatinine, a natural waste product, in Georgia’s blood suggested a problem with her kidneys, and following a series of tests she was diagnosed with kidney failure.

Georgia has now been able to return to school full time, but must monitor her health and water intake carefully.

Zoe said: “Georgia’s kidneys are damaged and at some point she will need dialysis and a transplant. She’s a studious girl and she’s always wanted to be a paediatric doctor herself.

“Georgia’s realised that it’s a silent disease and that there isn’t enough funding going on for kidney disease.

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“We saw children right down to babies on the ward and it opened her eyes up.

“She just wants to raise as much as she can to help.”

Along with her mum and grandmother, Georgia will undertake the gruelling 18 mile walk from her Pontefract home to Leeds General Infirmary later today.

She hopes to raise £500 for Kidney Research UK.

Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/georgia-bedford1 to donate to Georgia’s campaign.