Wakefield mum who donated a kidney to her son will celebrate 70th with a skydive

A mum who donated a kidney to her son will celebrate her 70th birthday with a skydive and a 10k run for charity.
Christine and son James.Christine and son James.
Christine and son James.

Christine Renshaw, originally from Wakefield, donated the organ to her son James after he was diagnosed with IgA Nephropathy – a form of kidney disease – and the illness got worse.

To raise cash for kidney disease research and show someone can still lead a normal life after donating she will plummet 10,000ft from a plane in a tandem skydive on Saturday and complete the Great Manchester Run the following weekend.

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She said: “It’s my first but heights don’t really bother me.

“I’m reasonably confident about it. I’ve been training a lot with parkruns for the 10k but there’s not really a lot you can do to train for a skydive, so I suppose on the plus side I’ll just turn up and do it.” Christine said James, 40, had to endure nausea, fatigue and pain, as well as endure a range of treatments because of his illness and wanted to help other families going through the same trauma.

“We didn’t really know anything about the condition and the impact it has on people’s lives before James was diagnosed,” she said. In 2017 she raised £2,400 for charity by completing her first 10k alongside James and husband George, a former Queen Elizabeth Grammar School pupil from Lupset. The family now live in Appleton in Warrington but Christine, whose maiden name is Foley and went to Wakefield Girls High School, said the city still felt like home.

Visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/christinerenshaw.

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