Defiant runner wants dialysis marathon record

A man who suffered kidney failure last year is hoping to set a record for the fastest marathon completed by someone receiving dialysis.

Cameron Frazer from Shrewsbury said he was an active runner before being diagnosed with vasculitis, a rare and aggressive autoimmune condition.

The 36-year-old spent months in hospital receiving treatment and is now learning to live with dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant.

But he said he wanted to attempt a record to raise money for charity and show "what's possible when you refuse to be limited by circumstance".

As man with a young family, Frazer said the diagnosis and subsequent treatment had been "a lot for me to take".

Vasculitis causes inflammation of the blood vessels and can lead to symptoms ranging from facial droops and nerve damage to major organ failure.

Within weeks he lost weight and mobility and also suffered pneumonia and kidney failure.

The treatment involved biopsies, dialysis, plasma exchange, transfusions and heavy medication and he described it as "relentless," but in time he was stabilised.

He now manages his condition through medication and peritoneal dialysis, which he performs at home with a machine which helps pump fluid and remove waste and excess fluid from his blood.

His ordeal had been "brutal, humbling and life-altering," he said, but he wanted to do something worthwhile and show people it was "not the end of the world".

After initially being unable to walk to the hospital car park, he said he knew running the Manchester marathon in April would be a "bold challenge".

He said he accepted he was "no longer a sub-20-minute 5K or 3:30 marathon runner", but nevertheless he had completed a half marathon just two days after having the central line in his chest removed.

Frazer said: "Unsurprisingly, there isn't much evidence of people with major organ failure running marathons."

He was able to find a record of someone finishing one in five hours and 15 minutes, which will be his aim on 19 April.

In running the race he will be raising funds for Kidney Care UK.

He also said the run was "about proving to myself that I can keep moving forward, making my family proud, and showing my children the power of resilience.

"More than anything, I want to inspire others facing difficult circumstances to believe that with determination and support, incredible things are possible."

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