A DAUGHTER is tackling her first-ever marathon to raise money for the Bradford renal unit treating her mum.

Carly Barrett, who only started running ten months ago, is taking on the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon at York in October, in aid of the unit at St Luke’s Hospital run by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Her mum Carole Davidson, from Cullingworth, had a kidney transplant 30 years ago thanks to her sister.

But a routine check-up earlier this year revealed that the organ is not working as well as it once did.

The 57-year-old has been warned by her consultant nephrologist Dr Russell Roberts that she may need dialysis treatment and another new kidney in the next couple of years.

Her daughter Carly, who is from Oxenhope, was just four-years-old when her mum had the original transplant.

She offered herself as a donor for any subsequent operation but tests showed she was not a match.

However, her sister Alex and step-dad Howard Binns are both matches, so one of them could donate.

“Mum has done remarkably well for her kidney to last 30 years – she is a trooper,” said Mrs Barrett.

“She’s doing OK at the moment but it looks like she’s going to need dialysis in the future and I really don’t want her to go through that while she waits for a donor. My sister and I both got tested to see if we could be donors.

“It was heartbreaking to find out I couldn’t help, but I thought what better way to provide support than to try to raise some money for the renal unit which will be taking care of mum.

“I only started running last October but I have set myself up to run 26.2 miles!

“I am not setting a fundraising target as such because I think any amount will be great.”

Dr Roberts paid tribute to her and said: “It’s really kind of her to donate the proceeds from the run to the Bradford Hospitals’ charity to support those patients with renal and kidney disease,” he said.

“Not only does she want to raise money for our renal unit, but she was willing to be a potential kidney donor so that her mum could receive a second transplant if the medical team thinks it’s necessary.

“That was such an amazing gesture.” he added.

An online fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/carly-barrett-1, for donations. so far 37 on-line supporters have helped raise almost £450.

The marathon is on October 8 so Mrs Barrett is pounding her local streets in training.

Patients were first dialysed at the renal unit at St Luke’s in 1994, it currently has just under 200 dialysis patients according to the hospital website.