People have rallied round a Cockermouth man who was told by the Government he was not ill enough to receive benefits – despite recovering from a kidney transplant.
Adam Briggs, 39, was forced to undergo the transplant because his kidneys started to fail thanks to side effects of a heart transplant he underwent when he was nine.
The self-employed sports therapist said he was told by doctors that he would have died within two weeks if he had not started dialysis as he was at end stage kidney failure.
His friend Jez Starkey set up a gofundmepage without Adam’s knowledge to help ease the burden – and so far it has paid for his rent and other bills, which means he can concentrate on his recovery.
An event at Xtreme Fitness at Lillyhall, near Workington, raised £200 and Thorpe Motors donated £100.
Adam, who is a keen fell runner, said: “I am so grateful to people who have made a donation and am completely overwhelmed – especially as I know people are struggling at the moment with the cost of living. It has made such a difference to me. It has made life a lot less stressful.”
He was not allowed to work during his recovery from the transplant. Adam had his final surgery last week and is allowed to do a bit more exercise and move more, although he added he was still sore.
