Life of inspirational kidney health campaigner to be honoured at London Marathon
A beloved campaigner from Birmingham, who fought for better awareness of kidney disease and transplantation, will be honoured by his family this April as his daughter and son-in-law complete the TCS London Marathon in his memory.
Mandy and Ant McGreevy are raising funds for Kidney Research UK to continue the legacy of Mandy’s dad, Sam Kang, who died in January, aged 66, after a 26-year battle with kidney disease. Sam was a much-loved volunteer with the charity, dedicating his time alongside his wife, Pam, to improve understanding of kidney health and organ donation in South Asian communities.
Mandy, 39, says: “Supporting Kidney Research UK was one of the most important things in Dad’s life. Only his love for Wolverhampton Wanderers might have topped it! Last year, when we told him we’d signed up for the marathon to raise money, he was so pleased. It’s incredibly sad that he won’t be there to watch us complete it.
“It has always been an ambition of ours to complete the London Marathon. The fact that we’re doing it for Dad and Kidney Research UK is so significant to us. We’ll be running in his memory, keeping his legacy alive. It will be emotional and there will be tears. I just hope we’ll do him proud.”
Pam, 65, says: “Sam was so happy when he heard that Mandy and Ant had signed up to run the London Marathon in the name of Kidney Research UK. He really was over the moon. He will be watching over them with pride as they run on the day.”
Ant, 41, says: “Sam was always an advocate of Kidney Research UK and did as much as he possibly could to make a difference. It meant an awful lot to him. It’s lovely we can do this in his memory.”
Kidney disease affected our whole family
An unexpected diagnosis of kidney failure in 2000 left Sam needing 12 years of dialysis, until he finally received a kidney transplant thanks to Pam, who donated a kidney to a stranger as part of the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme. As Pam was not a match to donate directly to Sam, the scheme enabled them to match with another donor-recipient pair, facilitating a transplant for each patient.
After 13 years, Sam’s kidney sadly failed in 2025, leaving him on dialysis for several months before his death - which was the result of complications caused by his illness.
Sam’s passing has left a huge hole in the lives of all who knew him, especially his children – Kiran, Jas and Mandy – and wife, Pam.
Mandy says: “Dad was very much the person we’d all go to when we had a problem. If we had a flat tyre, it would always a case of calling Dad! I think kidney disease had such a big impact on him because over time he lost his independence. He was so strong-willed and fought kidney disease so bravely over so many years. However, it really did take its toll in the months before he passed away.
“He was always in and out of hospital for dialysis, infections and other appointments. It became normal. When he went into hospital with another infection in January, we just assumed he would be home again soon. It was a complete shock when we received the phone call to say he had passed away. It is hard to accept that he is gone.”
Pam, who is a nurse, says: “The effects of kidney disease and being on dialysis caused Sam a lot of problems with his eyesight and mobility. He lost his appetite, became increasingly tired and was troubled by infections. His health prevented him doing things that he enjoyed and caused him a lot of frustration. It greatly affected his mental health and had a huge impact on our family.
“We all played a role in supporting him and I felt I became more of a carer than a wife as his health progressively got worse. I had to make sure he was eating, taking his medication and attending appointments. That could be an annoyance to him when it all felt too much. My life was looking after him, coming to work and taking care of the house and finances. I couldn’t have managed without the help of our children.
“There was no time for me. Now all I have is time and I miss him so much. Sometimes when I’m at work, I forget that Sam won’t be there when I get home. When I walk into the house alone, it hurts a lot. His death has shattered our world.”
Mandy says: “Family occasions are painful without Dad, but we know he’d want us to enjoy being together. He loved making memories with us and hearing about our adventures. We’ll be together to mark the Sikh festival, Vaisakhi, in April, but it won’t be the same without him.”
Sam’s legacy
Alongside Pam, Sam volunteered as a peer educator for Kidney Research UK, raising awareness of kidney disease and the importance of organ donation, with a focus on South Asian communities. The couple, who are Sikhs, spent time campaigning in many community locations, including Gurdwaras across the West Midlands.
People from South Asian communities often face longer waiting times for kidney transplants compared to white patients, due to a shortage of donors from minority ethnic groups. Having waited 12 years for a kidney transplant himself, educating his community was particularly important to Sam.
Pam says: “Sam was very happy to volunteer. He didn’t want anyone else to have to go through what he had. It can be difficult for people in Asian communities to talk openly about illnesses and the idea of donating a kidney. Sam would speak to anyone about his condition and transplant to encourage those conversations.
“Being able to speak Punjabi and Hindi meant we could communicate with the whole community. When people heard I donated a kidney they couldn’t believe it. Seeing me happy and healthy helped people realise that they could also consider organ donation.
“We were very proud of the awareness raising we did. It has helped more people talk about their health and has provided them with steps to protect their kidneys. We encouraged many people to become organ donors which was amazing. I will continue volunteering in Sam’s memory and he will always be with me.”
Running the London Marathon
On Sunday 26 April, Mandy and Ant will run alongside over 50 participants fundraising for Kidney Research UK at the TCS London Marathon.
Mandy says: “This is a huge challenge for me and Ant. We’ve never taken on something as big as this. Sometimes I wonder how we’ll do it! Every time I’m having a difficult training run, I hear Dad’s voice in my head pushing me on. I talk to him more on my runs than at any other time. Thinking of him will keep us going on the day.
“As much as this is for Dad, we’re also running to celebrate Mum. Kidney disease has had a huge impact on her life too and we’re so fortunate to have her. She’s an amazing role model and it’s incredible what she has done for Dad. If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have had those last 13 years of life thanks to his transplant. He was able to be there as we grew up and got married and we’re thankful for that.”
Pam says: “I’ll be cheering Mandy and Ant on at the marathon alongside family and friends. Sam was very proud that they were taking part and he’ll be in our hearts. It’s a great way to raise more awareness about kidney disease in his honour and every penny matters to make people’s lives better.”
Mandy says: “Finishing the marathon isn’t where our support for Kidney Research UK stops. We want to volunteer and keep raising money in memory of Dad. We owe it to him to keep supporting kidney awareness. It helps us to keep his memory alive.
“We’re not the only family to be going through this. If there is anything we can do to help others, then we want to do it. We had no idea about kidney disease before Dad needed dialysis for the first time. It has been a massive eye-opener for our whole family.”
Support Ant and Mandy’s fundraising: Kidney Research UK: McGreevy London Marathon 2026
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