{"id":160631,"date":"2026-02-05T16:42:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:42:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidneyresearchuk.org\/?p=160631"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:44:42","slug":"why-i-became-a-kidney-research-uk-community-ambassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidneyresearchuk.org\/2026\/02\/05\/why-i-became-a-kidney-research-uk-community-ambassador\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I became a Kidney Research UK community ambassador"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

For\u00a0the past year, 34-year-old\u00a0Angelina Sanderson from Helensburgh\u00a0in Scotland, has\u00a0volunteered\u00a0as a\u00a0community ambassador, helping to make a difference for people affected by kidney problems.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

She has\u00a0spent time supporting patients, raising awareness, attending\u00a0events\u00a0and sharing her\u00a0own\u00a0story to advocate for more research and improvements in\u00a0care.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

We\u00a0asked Angelina\u00a0about her experiences to find out more about her motivations and what she enjoys about being a community ambassador.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

What motivated you to volunteer?<\/h2>\r\n

In 2017, I was diagnosed with a\u00a0type of\u00a0hereditary kidney disease called Gitelman syndrome. Nobody can tell me what the future will look like as\u00a0it is such a rare condition<\/a>. I may need dialysis or a transplant, but the truth is nobody knows.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Living with that uncertainty is incredibly difficult and frightening, particularly because of the tragic loss of my sister,\u00a0Rosanna, in 2018. She had a rare, related condition and was only\u00a022 years old when she died.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

At the time of her passing she was pregnant with her first child, Lilly. Losing Rosanna and my beautiful baby niece\u00a0has been devastating\u00a0for our whole family. Carrying that grief and the fear of what my own future holds is something I\u00a0have\u00a0to\u00a0navigate every day.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

I chose to become a volunteer in memory of Rosanna and Lilly. I want to make them proud by creating change and raising awareness.\u00a0Kidney conditions urgently need more research to ensure patients are not\u00a0left undiagnosed. If there had been\u00a0better understanding,\u00a0maybe Rosanna\u00a0and Lilly would still be alive today.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\"Angelina