Best friend’s kidney donation powers woman to run the Kidney Wales CDF 10K
A mother-of-two from Cardiff is taking on the Kidney Wales CDF 10K to raise money for the event’s title sponsor after her life was saved through a kidney donation.
Judith Stone discovered she had problems with her kidneys early in her adult life after experiencing problems with high blood pressure. She has since been diagnosed with uromodulin nephropathy – a rare inherited genetic disorder which leads to abnormal protein build-up in kidney cells, progressive cellular damage and eventual end-stage renal disease.
She said: “My dad is one of three brothers. His eldest brother died from kidney failure when I was about 10 and then around 10 years ago my dad’s middle brother had a kidney transplant. I’d been diagnosed with kidney disease by then too and over the years that followed it transpired that my dad’s side of the family had been affected – we have the same faulty UMOD gene that causes uromodulin nephropathy.”
Judith, 47, who runs a family business and is also Chair of Kidney Wales, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2003.
It wasn’t until she was in her 30s when she was looking to start a family that further concerns around her kidney function began and she started looking at the possibility of a live donor transplant.
In 2022, Judith was hit with a further blow when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. By November 2023 her kidney function reached 20% and she needed to look for a donor.
Several family members and friends put themselves forward including Judith’s husband, Martyn, and best friend, Tracy. Unfortunately, none of them proved to be a direct match so when her kidney function was at 14% Judith entered the kidney sharing scheme, where two or three donor kidneys are ‘swapped’ in a pool with other pairs across the UK to find compatible matches.
Judith said: “Martyn and Tracy put themselves forward for the scheme and Tracy was picked as a match for an anonymous recipient. Tracy wasn’t deterred by the shared scheme, where she knew that her kidney wouldn’t be a direct donation to me. She just knew that I needed a kidney and thought that the sharing scheme was the best option to find a match.”
Finally in August 2024, a match had been found and that November Judith had her transplant at the University Hospital Wales.
She said: “Although Tracy’s kidney was matched with an anonymous recipient, I always think of it as Tracy donating to me. It is the most selfless, precious gift”
Following her transplant Judith started to feel much better but in April 2025 her recovery was knocked when she contracted BK virus.
She said: “The virus doesn’t usually cause problems except for those with kidney transplants, and it can be really destructive. By September, I began to experience a number of complications and was in and out of hospital until February this year with surgery, infections and two episodes of kidney rejection.”
When Judith came out of hospital she was inspired to run the Kidney Wales CDF 10K. She started her training in March by taking part in the Couch to 5K programme and has continued with her training to progress to the 10K event on Sunday 6 September.
Judith said: “I’d been out of action for months and wasn’t able to exercise, I had started to fantasise about running. The CDF 10K seemed like the perfect fitness goal to get me back on track and when I found out it was the event’s 40th anniversary it seemed like even more of a perfect opportunity.”
Ross Evans, CEO of Kidney Wales, said: “This is exactly why stories like this are so powerful. Judith is not only someone who has been through the life changing journey of a kidney transplant, but also Chair of the Board at Kidney Wales. Seeing her now taking on the CDF 10K is incredibly inspiring and a wonderful example of what can be possible after a transplant.
“We’re delighted to be the headline charity partner for the CDF 10K in its 40th anniversary year, and it’s particularly special to see the event’s long history with Kidney Wales reflected in stories like Judith’s. Every person who takes part helps us raise awareness of kidney health and supports our work to improve the lives of people affected by kidney disease across Wales.
“We’ll be cheering Judith on every step of the way. We hope her story inspires others living with kidney disease, or those who have received a transplant, to believe that there can be a whole new chapter ahead.”
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers Run 4 Wales, added: “Judith has been through a life-changing experience and to see her now taking on the challenge of the Kidney Wales CDF 10K is incredibly inspiring. We’re incredibly proud to be welcoming her to the start line and to be working with Kidney Wales as the event’s headline partner in its 40th anniversary year.
“We hope that Judith’s story will inspire others to get involved, whether that’s by taking on a race themselves, supporting a loved one or simply getting behind the incredible work of Kidney Wales.”