Renal Unit staff run 10K in memory of patient

5 August 2019

Two Senior Dialysis Assistants at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) have raised over £1,200 for the Shropshire and Mid Wales Kidney Patients’ Association (KPA), in memory of a dialysis patient who sadly died earlier this year.

Allison Anderson and Rachel Evans, who have worked at RSH for a combined 35 years, took on the Market Drayton 10K in May in memory of Hugh Regan who was a Renal patient at the hospital for 24 years until his death in January.

Rachel, who also delivered a eulogy at Hugh’s funeral, said: “I knew Hugh for two decades and, to all of us at the Dialysis Unit, he was more than a patient. In didn’t matter who you were, Hugh took an interest in everyone and everything and was part of all of our lives.

“You couldn’t not love him; he had a great personality and just took everything in his stride.”

Allison said: “We see the same patients a number of times a week, often over the course of many years, and they become like family to us.

“When Hugh died he left such a big hole in all of our lives that we wanted to remember him in a fitting way, and raising money for the KPA seemed like the perfect way to do that.”

Hugh’s sister, Patricia Downes, said: “Our family feel honoured that Rachel and Allison wanted to run the 10K in Hughie’s memory. It has reinforced what a special man he was, and for 24 years the dedication and care the renal unit gave Hugh enhanced his life.

“We know the money raised will help make those hours spent on a dialysis machine more bearable. Our family cannot express their gratitude enough as it allowed us to keep Hughie for so many more valuable years.”

Barbara Soden, Chairwoman on the KPA, and a dialysis patient herself, said: “It is so brilliant that Allison and Rachel have chosen to honour Hugh in this way. The money they have raised is not only a fantastic tribute to him, but means his legacy will be of huge benefit to our patients.”

Dialysis is a procedure to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys stop working properly. It often involves diverting blood to a machine to be cleaned.

Normally the kidneys filter the blood, removing harmful waste products and excess fluid and turning these into urine to be passed out of the body.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs RSH and The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, has outpatient Renal Dialysis Units at both hospitals.