THE family of a York mum-of-two who died from kidney failure are remembering her on World Kidney Day (March 10).

Carly Jackson, who lived in Copmanthorpe, passed away a year ago today (March 9) from renal failure aged just 33, four years after being diagnosed with kidney disease.

In 2017, Carly fell ill and was admitted to hospital with a kidney functioning at just six per cent, Following months of visits to various doctors, nurses and consultants, Carly had lines put in so that she could undergo dialysis treatment three times a week at York Hospital. It was a difficult period getting used to the routine and having to spend so much time in hospital away from her children, Maddie, eight and Jorgie, aged five.

Two years later, however, Carly was delighted to be given the opportunity to have a transplant, so on May 24 2019, Carly was given a donated kidney from a family friend after they had all been tested for a match. A kidney transplant, however, is not a cure for kidney disease, but a treatment, so there is always a risk that the kidney will be rejected.

Following the transplant, Carly was losing function in the lower third of her kidney and over the next year she had numerous infections meaning several stays in hospital. She then contracted pneumonia and, due to a severely compromised immune system, Carly’s body was unable to fight it, even with the intensive care team doing all they could, Carly passed away at 3.35pm on March 9 2021 – just 12 hours after her last admittance to hospital.

The time of Carly’s passing was in the midst of Covid and there was no opportunity for friends and family to come together to celebrate her life – so they decided to organise something to honour her memory and at the same time raise funds for two charities that work to make a difference to people living with kidney disease.  

Last December Carly’s sister, Stacie Jackson-Ross and parents Tracey and Stuart, spent months planning a dinner-dance at the Hilton, York. Making sure that the entertainment would have met with Carly’s approval – the focus was for the 140 guests having a good time on the dancefloor - which they did with a DJ and saxophonist to give a party atmosphere.  

Thanks to Carly’s family’s hard work, and amazing support from local businesses who provided over 80 prizes for two raffles, alongside the ticket sales – which sold out in just 20 hours – a fantastic £12,517 was raised at the dinner in memory of Carly for two charities, Kidney Research Yorkshire and Kidney Care UK.

Stacie, who lives in Skelton, said: “We think that Carly will have been really proud of what we achieved together in her honour. Her two children, Maddie and Jorgie were able to be present at the dinner which made it extra special. There was so much love in the room for their Mummy – hopefully this will be a treasured memory for them as they grow up.

"It also wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of so many local businesses who donated more than 80 prizes to our raffle. Businesses also supported us on the night - Ainsty Ales did a pop up bar where all proceeds went to charity, Monique Booth-o-Matic provided a photo booth and her time for free and Rachel from Beatie Events lent us stock from her styling business for free.”

Carly’s friends described her as ‘one in a billion’ and ‘a force of nature’ and Stacie says of her sister “she was warm and mothering, a real livewire and hilarious. She loved her family and her children fiercely and is so missed every single day by so many people.”

David Fisher, Fundraising Manager at Kidney Research Yorkshire said: “Thanks to the amazing support of people like Stacie, Kidney Research Yorkshire is able to fund vital research within Yorkshire and the Humber, to improve treatment of kidney disease, ultimately saving lives and enhancing the quality of life for patients living with kidney disease. We really appreciate the amazing fundraising efforts of Stacie and the family and friends of Carly for their fantastic support and for choosing to remember her in such an amazing way.”