After waiting nearly five years for a kidney transplant, a South London man wants to raise awareness of donor shortage among minority ethnic communities.

Emrose Ahmed, 34, returned from a holiday in Vietnam five years ago and was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting with pneumonia.

Within a week, doctors found he had serious kidney failure.

He said: “When I was first diagnosed, it was really stressful; my eldest daughter was only nine months old.

“I’d previously been very active; balancing working in the city with family commitments and so being connected to huge machines on dialysis was quite overwhelming.

“Throughout my condition, my wife has been my rock. In the early days, we also had helpful advice from the St George’s Kidney Patients Association as I needed to follow a special diet.”

Family members wanted to donate their kidneys, but they were not suitable.

Kidney failure is up to five times more common in people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and patients have to wait up to twice as long for a transplant due to a shortage of donors.

After four and a half years, in late 2018, Emrose was finally given the good news: they had found a match.

He said: “The operation happened that same day and was a success. The team at St George’s and Colliers Wood helped so much with my recovery and ongoing treatment.”

Now living in Streatham with his wife and three young daughters, Emrose plans to volunteer with the St George’s Kidney Patient Association to raise awareness.

He said: “There is a lack of awareness about kidney disease, especially in my community, and so I’d like to campaign for better understanding.”

But his outlook is positive.

“When you receive a diagnosis, you can either put your life on hold, or you can try to manage your situation as best you can,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to living my life to the full with my family.”