Find a Cure for Martha - Kidney Research UK

When you look at the pictures of Martha it’s hard to believe that she is so ill. But bright, bubbly Martha could have less than five years – that’s all – until her kidneys finally stop working.

To read more of Martha’s story, click here.

Martha's favourite colour is pink – if it's pink and sparkly, even better. She giggles uncontrollably when she's tickled, she loves Jelly Cat (her favourite teddy) and cheese toasties. Most of the time Martha feels she's just like her friends. But she's not. She's a very sick child, a very sick child indeed. Her kidneys are damaged beyond repair and soon, sadly, they will fail completely.

Martha has a rare condition called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). It’s incurable. It means that Martha’s immune system is attacking her kidneys and slowly destroying them. A transplant only has a 30% chance of success because of her disease, in which case, the only step left to keep her kidneys functioning would be dialysis. She would be tied to a dialysis machine for life. Click here to view a larger version of the video.

We are funding...
We are funding Professor Moin Saleem's research into Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Over the last four years he has made significant advances. Professor Saleem and his team have produced the only representative human podocyte cell line - the podocyte forms the filter in the kidneys. As FSGS is thought to be caused by blood abnormalities, the team can take plasma from patients, put it on the podocyte cell and study the damage. There is the possibility to find which component is causing the damage.

Professor Saleem's research is vital. If he can find a way to stop Martha's immune system attacking her kidneys, a transplant would have a much greater chance of success.

For Martha’s sake – and so many other children and adults – we must find better treatments and ultimately a cure for kidney disease. The only way Kidney Research UK can do this is to fund more studies into the causes of kidney disease. Please help with a donation of whatever you can afford.

Click here to donate.

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