The KSG Open Letter – A Heartfelt Welcome to Every Kidney Patient

Dear All Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Patients,

Whether you were diagnosed yesterday, have been juggling clinic appointments for decades, or simply love someone who lives with kidney disease, we are writing to you.

We are the Kidney Support Group – KSG for short – a UK-based, patient-run community created by people who understand every scan, every late-night Google, every extra blanket on the dialysis chair. We know the surge of hope when numbers rise and the sinking feeling when they fall. Above all, we know how lonely kidney disease can feel, even when the waiting room is full.

KSG exists to make sure you never face that loneliness again. From teenagers navigating their first appointments to seasoned transplant recipients balancing medications and work, our members span every age, every stage, and every diagnosis. Log in on your best day and you’ll find cheers. Turn up on your worst and you’ll find someone who has stood in your shoes and will stay online until the panic eases.

Our mission is simple: connection. In the short time we’ve been running, strangers have become friends, hospital corridors have echoed with laughter organised in our chat, and several members have celebrated life-changing transplants with the entire group rooting for them in real time. That collective strength is the heartbeat of KSG.

No question is too small, no worry too dramatic. Wondering why your phosphate keeps climbing? Ask. Terrified of fistula surgery? Say it out loud. Need a rant at 3 a.m. because the machine alarm won’t stop? Type away. Someone will answer – with experience, with honesty, and with real empathy.

We meet on Discord: a free, secure app that works on mobile, desktop, or simply in your browser. One click from our website – chat.kidneysupportgroup.co.uk brings you straight into the conversation. You can listen quietly until you’re ready, or dive straight in. Either way, you belong from the moment you arrive.

This is your invitation to pull up a virtual chair, pour a cuppa, and share the load. We cannot promise to fix creatinine levels or shorten waiting lists, but we can promise you understanding, practical tips, and a circle of people who will remember your clinic day and message afterwards to ask, “How did it go?”

If you are ready to trade isolation for solidarity, we are here – twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

With sincere hope and warm regards,

Callum
Founder, KSG Kidney Support Group
Polycystic Kidney Disease Patient