This is the fourth Newsletter for this year. A year in which we have completed the three-year cycle of informative general meetings. We have also seen a pattern of meetings established that include a variety of social events and working with the Newcastle Transplant Games Team.

We are fortunate in getting help from a lot of people in different ways. These include donations of both items to sell and financial ones. A lot of the organisational work is done by a small team and we urgently need to expand this group. Our annual elections are coming up at the September 15^th meeting but we need nominations in now to form a new committee. So please help us by offering your talents. Simon Lloyd

The move into the new renal unit has been delayed for very good clinical reasons. Haemodialysis needs a supply of half a litre / minute for each HD unit. This water must be sterile and it has had to be tested for 6 weeks to ensure a really good supply.

John Tapson has told us, "The plans for the move into the new Renal Services Centre (RSC) are progressing well.

The move of all Chronic Haemodialysis Patients into Ward 31, RSC: All equipment etc will be moved into the new facility during the weekend of 11/12 July 2009, with the first patient treatments occurring on Monday 13th July 2009.

Move of inpatient activity into Ward 32, RSC: move will take place during 17/18 July 2009."

Plans to build a new satellite unit at Wansbeck have come to an end and there will not be a unit there. However the funding set aside for this unit is still available and it is hoped a suitable alternative site can be found in this area.

The need for extra haemodialysis is growing by about 5% a year so we are going to need an ongoing increase in dialysis facilities in the near future. At the moment no site has been selected. Simon Lloyd

We were very pleased to learn that a new Transplant Centre is to be built at the Freeman Hospital. This will allow heart, lung, kidney and liver transplants to be carried out under one roof. It also means that patient-to-patient kidney donations, which require two next door operating theaters can be carried out more easily and without delaying other operations.

Building work is due to commence in the near future and it is hoped the unit will be completed within two years.

Some patients have been asking if there are any side effects if they get Swine Flu and need to take Tamiflu. We have been assured that Tamiflu is an antiviral drug that will not interact or upset medication taken by those with transplants on immunosuppressants. The Newcastle Trust has made plans to cope with an outbreak if one occurs. Simon Lloyd

A haemo patient made a complaint on Look North about conditions in Ward 22 and the delay in moving into the new Renal Service Centre. We wish to make it quite clear these were the patient's own views. In addition there is concern that some of the details were not factually correct.

We are very careful before contacting the press because it is very important that all facts we put forward are correct.

Sadly complaints do arise for a whole variety of reasons. We normally try and see if we can get the problems resolved by contacting the relevant staff direct; as we do not want to go back to the confrontational approach that existed prior to 2006. We will follow up problems which affect a lot of people as far as we can.

Our Association will help people to make a formal complaint but we normally are not prepared to get directly involved. Simon Lloyd

We have received the following warning from the National Kidney Federation chairman Ray Mackey:

"The recent case in the UK of patients being offered ADVAGRAPH instead of PROGRAF, or vice versa in error by GPs or pharmacists, highlights the very real danger patients face if they accept a change in medication made by anyone other than a Transplant Surgeon or Consultant Nephrologist. These days drugs are very complex, and even though one drug appears to contain the same or a similar drug to another (in the given example the drug is tacrolimus) the formulations can be very different and very harmful if taken by mistake.

The lesson is clear, if the drug you are being prescribed, or handed is not identical to the drug you are used to taking - DON'T TAKE IT without getting advice from your own renal consultant. This applies even if the person is your GP, Chemist, Nurse or other Physician."

All our meetings are normally held on the second TUESDAY of the month in the Postgraduate Centre of the Freeman Hospital at 6.30pm for 7.00 pm start. They will usually be held in the Lounge, room 137/8 - if there is a change of day, room or venue it will it be stated at that event. If date & day differ please telephone any committee member for correct day/date! I (Joan) sometimes have a ‘senior moment’ when my brain is not in gear and I hit the wrong keys – that’s my excuse!!!

Tuesday 14th 7.00pm Room 137 Professor Neil Sheerin

Tuesday 21st Annual doctors v patients cricket match at Blue Flames from 6.00pm. See below for details.

30th-August 2nd Transplant Games Coventry

Saturday 8th Felling Festival – Volunteers required.

Tuesday 11th 7.00pm Room 137 Committee Meeting – members only

22nd-31st World Transplant Games Brisbane

Tuesday 15th Room 137 Annual General Meeting followed by Living Wills

Saturday 19th Coach Trip to Harrogate Autumn Flower Show

9-11th NKF CONFERENCE Hilton Hotel Blackpool, See below for information.

13th 7.00pm Room 137 Committee Meeting – members only

Checks on parking are being tightened up. We can use the Pay & Display car park beside the Postgraduate Centre free by displaying a TKPA badge on the dashboard, either using the one printed below or on the night from a member of the committee. Drivers can get to it by turning left at the mini roundabout in front of the main entrance, go past the barrier and into the first car park on the left.

This annual match has been arranged for Tuesday the 21st of July at the Blue Flames club, Whitley road, Benton. We will meet for 6.30 p.m. and start at 7.00. Tuesday 21 July Annual doctors v patients cricket match at Blue Flames from 6.00pm.

Would you like to come and help us, as we didn't have enough patients to field a complete team last year.

This match is a lot of fun, so if you have any cricket experience or even if you simply want to come and join in (or watch or just chat) please come along.

There will be a buffet and raffle afterwards to pay for the event and raise some money for the Transplant Games Team. Anyone hoping to come along, either to play or to support can you please let Dave Lee know as soon as possible, so that he can estimate numbers for the buffet.

July 30th-August 2nd Transplant Games to be held in Coventry

These games show what a difference a transplant can make as there are competitions held for all age groups – from children to the ‘more mature’!

We would like to wish the Newcastle competitors the best of luck. We hope you have an enjoyable weekend and win lots of medals.

On page 11 is the Nomination form for election of new committee members to be voted on at the AGM to be held on Tuesday September 15th 2009 in The Education Centre Freeman Hospital Room 138 6.30pm for 7.00pm start. You can propose any number of candidates, as long as they consent.

Under our ‘Constitution’ 3-year rule the following must relinquish their current positions at the next AGM.

Simon Lloyd will have completed 3 years as Chairman and must stand down as Chairman but is able to hold another post.

Margaret Nelson, will have completed 3 years as a committee member

We are very grateful for Professor Neil Sheerin stepping in to come and talk to us about his research in the symptoms of early renal failure. This is ground breaking work that he has asked us to help him with.

Barry Speker, the senior partner at Samuels Law Firm has worked with the Trust for many years providing a wide range of advice. Barry is particularly well verse in Living Wills so can give us a lot of practical advice.

If you have a heart attack and are unconscious do you want to be revived? Your answer will probably depend on the quality of life you would have if you recover. If you expect to have a healthy life you would want everything done possible to help you recover. But what would you say if you were likely to be left unable to speak or with limited movement and physical abilities?

A Living Will is the way you can state whether you want to be resuscitated when you are unconscious. It is made up of what are called Advance Directives which define what you want done in specific situations.

You may feel life is not worth living because of health problems. So you may want to make a Living Will. As with a normal will you have to be sound of mind. However if you don't want to go on living you can be considered medically depressed and treated to restore your mental health. This in effect creates a Catch 22 situation and is one of the problems.

If you make a Living Will can you alter it. You might for example want to get to a family wedding and temporarily suspend your Living Will. Can you do that?

Barry Speker is coming to both describe Living Wills and answer all the associated questions. Simon Lloyd

We are organising a coach trip to Harrogate Autumn Flower Show on Saturday 19^th September. This should be a really good day and we already have people asking for tickets. The coach can take 40 people and has a wheelchair lift with provision to remove seats and fasten down wheelchairs for those who have to travel in them. Tickets will be sold on a first come first served basis. The price is £15, which includes entry to the show.

The arrangements for the day are to leave from the Freeman at 8.30 a.m. and from Gateshead Interchange at 8.45. We should reach the Showground at about 10.00 and will leave to return home at 4.00 p.m.

This year the NKF Conference is being held at Blackpool in the Hilton Hotel, which is on the sea front. This conference is worth going to as it has a range of speakers on developments in aspects of our renal care that are very helpful. In addition there are a range of stands by companies, other kidney patient associations, holiday dialysis centres etc.

The main conference day is Saturday finishing with a dinner. On the Sunday is a council meeting or workshops for those who would prefer an alternative.

We do subsidise those who want to go and are planning to hire a vehicle to take people down for the weekend. If you would like to go would you let me know as soon as possible please. We could travel to Blackpool on Friday, though it will add to the overnight costs. Alternatively it would mean leaving early on Saturday as the journey takes at least 2 ½ hours and we need to be there by 9.30 at the latest.

I've always found this Conference very interesting as well as a chance to get involved with the NKF. So why not come and find out.

The booking form is on the back of the latest edition of Kidney Life. If you would like to come please don't delay booking as prices go up by £20 on 8^th August. Simon Lloyd

I will be away for a big family birthday (100^th) the first week of August and am going to Brisbane on the 18^th August until 9^th September. During that time Mike Hayhoe and George Dickson will be dealing with any issues that arise. So if you want to contact someone please contact either of them. Simon Lloyd

The Fun Afternoon this year was held at Simon Lloyd's smallholding. The weather had been really warm during the morning but it clouded over and got a bit windy. Unfortunately it was too cold for Simon to do any shearing as no young lady likes having her clothes taken off on a cold day.

This was the first outing for our new red gazebo that we've bought with a grant form Leeds Building Society. It's one that unfolds but is a bit difficult to get the frame locked. However it is robust and should cope with strong winds. Joan organised a bring and buy sale. In addition Josie Hogg had a jar full of peas to guess the number and John Harty organised a raffle. We raised just under £88 and have sent half of that as a donation to support the Transplant Games Team.

Fun events included darts, trying to get frisbees into tyres, welly whanging and using dustbin lids as frisbees to hit dustbins. Stewart Hogg got the barbecue going well and several people enjoyed cooking their food. Simon Lloyd

We had an enjoyable visit to Alnwick Gardens on Saturday 20^th June. We were again fortunate with the weather because it was fine most of the time with a little drizzle while there was heavy rain on Newcastle area.

We had a great start as everyone was early and we left the Freeman ahead of the advertised time. Then we had an unexpected diversion off the A! as a warning light had come on. Took some fuel on board and got to Alnwick 20 minutes early. We were met by a member of staff with a mobility scooter for Dorothy Cline. She gave us maps and told us about the developments that had happened recently.

The party got in and dispersed and all seemed to see a range of things

The gardens have notable water features starting with small fountains and shallow waterways in the walled garden, The main cascade fountains going off every half hour with two different displays. A row of upright fountains alternating with fountains arching from the sides

We had plenty of time to explore the new garden of Japanese flowering cherries, the tree house with its swaying bridges that nearly made one of our party sea sick, and a stroll through the woodland walk. We're not quite sure what plans were hatched in visits to the poison garden. It certainly showed some plants are not quite as harmless as they first appear.

There was also time for some retail therapy or a visit to the pub. All happily got back on the coach to return to find a lot of signs of heavy rain around Newcastle. Simon Lloyd

On what has to be one of the hottest days of the year, we had agreed to do a sponsored walk crossing six bridges over the River Tyne. Starting and finishing on Lobley Hill Road in Bensham, Gateshead.

We started the walk at 9.30am on Thursday 2nd July.The first bridge we headed for was the High Level then the Tyne Bridge, Swing, Millennium (Eye). We stopped off at the Baltic to use their facilities and have refreshments. We then took the river path on the Gateshead side to get onto the Redheugh Bridge – half way across we stopped to read the plaque which commemorated the opening of the bridge by Lady Diana.

When we got to the Newcastle side we took the river path to the Scotswood Bridge, our sixth and last bridge. The scenic views were fantastic. The time when we crossed the Scotswood Bridge was 2.15pm. We stopped off at K.F.C. for chicken and chips and ice cream before we made the long journey back to the start. By this time the heat was unbearable, we still had about four miles to do and finally got back to the finish at 5.15pm. a total of 7 ¾ hours! We walked 16 miles in total.

We had one mishap causing us to do a slight detour because we took the wrong road, heading to Swalwell instead of Dunston causing us to do an extra mile.

We had finally made it raising £400 to be shared between Marie Cancer Charity,( which we choose because one of the staff at Armstrong had been cured of liver cancer), Livernorth Support Group and Armstrong House care home funds to take the residents out for a ‘day at the seaside’.

Thank you to everyone who had sponsored us.

The team consisted of John & Susan Harty, Chloe Robinson (Susan’s niece) who wanted to do the walk in memory of her Dad who had died of Lung Cancer a few weeks ago and Gail Tilbury who is a care home support worker at Armstrong House.

John Harty (a transplant recipient & Transplant Games competitor)

Our new red gazebo was a great asset at South Shield on Saturday 4^th. We put it up with just the back wall in place as it was very hot and sunny most of the day. However it did cloud over and threaten rain in the afternoon so we put up another wall on the windward side.

Our main table had a well-stocked tombola which went well through the day. In addition we had a lucky dip taken round the show by Cassie and Ross as well as selling raffle tickets. The other competition was Guess the Birthplace of the large Old English Sheep Dog cuddly toy.

We handed out a lot of organ donor cars as well as talking to some kidney patients who are approaching dialysis.

We had a really good team running the day headed up by Joan Longstaff and Margaret Nelson with help from Alan Bond, John Harty, Mary Bullock, Isobel, Jed, Cassie and Holly

Stubbington.

My husband and I divorced over religious differences.
He thought he was God, and I didn't. Mmmmmmm!!!

Marriage is a three-ring circus:
Engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering.

For Sale:
Wedding dress, size 8. Worn once by mistake.

There are two times when a man doesn't understand a woman:
Before marriage and after marriage.

Why are hurricanes usually named after women?
Because when they arrive, they're wet and wild, but when they go, they take your house and car.

The woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed way too qualified for the job.'Look Miss,' said the foreman, 'have you any actual experience in picking lemons?'
'Well, as a matter of fact, yes!' she replied. 'I've been divorced three times.'

An old woman goes to the Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse she has been living with for the last 40 years.The Wizard says, 'Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you.'
The old woman says without hesitation, 'I now pronounce you man and wife.'

I was in the express lane at the store quietly fuming.Completely ignoring the sign, the man ahead of me had slipped into the check-out line pushing a cart piled high with groceries.Imagine my delight when the cashier beckoned the man to come forward looked into the cart and asked sweetly, 'So which six items would you like to buy?'
Wouldn't it be great if that happened more often?

The reason parliamentarians try so hard to get re-elected is that they would hate to have to make a living under the laws they've passed.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

Our thanks go to all the following people for their very generous help:

Kirsty Pullen – leather document/passport holder for raffle

Peggy, Dorothy and Dave Pullen for donating teddies and jewellery for stall

Audrey Naylor - assorted items for stall/tombola

Margaret Thompson - assorted items for stall/tombola

Winifred Urwin - bric a brac and gift boxes for stall

Wendy Watson - assorted items for raffle/stall/tombola

Julie - tombola items

Tony Rice - assorted items for stall/tombola

Our thanks also go to the many very kind people who have anonymously donated gifts of money and goods for funds/raffle/stall.

We would also like to thank Freeman’s staff, both medical and clerical, who support and help us in so many different ways, including goods and supporting the stall and raffles.

We normally publish our Newsletter every 3 months, with an extra copy in August which contains the voting papers – this copy HAS TO BE POSTED TO ALL MEMBERS there will be no email issue! If anyone has any contributions, information, renal friendly recipes, jokes (printable type please!), poems, puzzles, quiz’s, views or observations for our newsletter, please contact any committee member, by 1st August 2009, in which issue we will be asking for nominations for the new committee for the AGM to be held in September. We would love to hear from you and would welcome any feedback. Please contact any committee member.

We would also like to say thank you to those members who have sent us items for this newsletter.

If anyone would like to receive our newsletter by email please contact George Dickson our Membership Secretary – this would also help to reduce our costs.