1.1. Who is this course for?

Hi, I'm Darren.

Welcome to this course for people with kidney disease.

If you are a family member of someone with kidney problems, I will help you not only understand the realities, but also the potential to live well with kidney disease.  

You are probably going through a tough time, you may be uncertain, you may have even lost a sense of "who you are". This is what this course is here to address.

The title of this course and very much the GOAL of what I do is to help you transition from the feeling of victim-hood to one of resilience, and we do that through strategies that transform thinking.

Firstly, doctors and your healthcare team will go over everything in relation to your disease and prescribe a treatment strategy, stick to it. Dietitians will look at the all important dietary issues but, I feel, and have felt since I got kidney failure over 20 years ago, there is very little help on dealing with the life issues that arise from the diagnosis of kidney disease. For me, these issues were the big issues. I essentially handed over my body to the doctors to treat in the best way they saw fit.

But what about when you leave the doctors surgery or the hospital? What about me, my life, my goals, my family situation, my work, my mental and emotional health?


There was no help, there was no “treatment protocol” for these things. Nothing!


I felt like a victim, I felt helpless. Through no fault of my own, or yours, we find ourselves in a situation we are ill equipped and unprepared to deal with, I certainly felt this way. That feeling was a mixture of shock and being overwhelmed. You probably have a similar story.


I began searching for answers. Answers from my renal team, from fellow-patients, from books and courses, including a Masters in Health Promotion to complement a Degree in Sports & Fitness. The final result is the person you see before you now.

My goal is to equip you from the knowledge and experience that I’ve tried, tested and found useful, in my 20+ years living with kidney disease.

Real life advice and guidance from someone who has been through it.

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