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To mark the anniversary of a kidney transplant which saved his life - hospital senior project manager Adam Turner will be running this year’s London Marathon.

Family man Adam (45) is looking to raise around £3,000 for Kidney Research UK as a thank you to everyone he says helped to save his life after being diagnosed with kidney disease as a teenager.

Currently training four times a week, Adam – who lives in Peterborough and works at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon – is taking part in his first ever marathon to mark the 20^th anniversary of his transplant. 

Aiming to build on his current 42km per week as he prepares for the 26 mile course, Adam says the transplant has enabled him to have a successful career with the NHS – the organisation that saved his life. 

He said: “ I was diagnosed with kidney disease just before my 18^th birthday. I had been ill on several occasions in previous years and suffered with lethargy.

“Reflecting on this now, I did not accept the diagnosis readily and don’t think anything could have prepared me for the harsh reality of coping with the disease as my renal function progressively deteriorated.”

The reason for Adam’s kidney failure wasn’t clear and he has no close family with the disease. 

With support from his family and then to be wife, he said: "This helped me focus on building a career and I am pleased to say that I managed to hold down a job and complete qualifications whilst fighting illness, and later undertaking a form of dialysis called CAPD (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis).

“There were some incredibly low moments during my time on dialysis. I had a permanent tube sticking out of my abdomen and was hospitalised several times with infection. 

“Looking back, I did not understand at the time how ill or depressed I was. 

“I recall being in hospital for a significant amount of time, a long way from friends and family wondering if I would make it back home again after a particularly difficult infection. I vividly remember breaking down with happiness when I was finally on the way home.”

Adam started running two years ago to lose weight and regain fitness after suffering from COVID several times during a six-month period.

He took inspiration from a former North West 

Anglia NHS Foundation Trust colleague who completed the London Marathon last year.

Adam added: “I am so grateful to the family that made the difficult decision in their own tragic circumstances to donate and enable my transplant to go ahead. They gave me the opportunity to have a family of my own and live a relatively normal life. 

“I wrote an anonymous letter to them expressing my gratitude at their gift, and I raise a glass to them on the anniversary every year.”

To support Adam in his fundraising, please visit Kidney Research UK: TCS London Marathon 2025