Story added: 25th January 2018

Young boy with rare kidney disease delighted after fulfilling mascot dream

A ten-year-old boy who suffers from a rare kidney disease is over the moon after fulfilling his dream of being a Norwich City FC mascot earlier this month.

Jaidyn Kemp, of Norfolk, has a condition called Dense Deposit Disease (DDD) which is slowly destroying his kidneys.

A huge Norwich City fan, Jaiydn was delighted to accompany his local team out onto the Carrow Road pitch before the first leg of the Canaries’ third round FA Cup clash against Chelsea FC.

“He was grinning from ear to ear as he emerged from the tunnel,” his mother Nevayne explains. “He started to make a bucket list and meeting the players was at the top of it!”

Jaiydn was diagnosed with DDD last year after a number of spells in and out of hospital.

The disease, which affects just two in every million people, means large proteins gather in excessive quantities in the organs, causing the filters to become blocked and die.

“I’ve been so upset since the diagnosis, everyday I try my hardest to make my little boy smile and that’s why I’m so grateful to Norwich City Football Club for this amazing opportunity.

“He is football mad and absolutely loved accompanying his team out onto the Carrow Road pitch; he just keeps saying how great it was!”

Nevayne does not know when Jaiydn’s kidneys will fail but after it happens he will go through dialysis and eventually need a transplant.

Devastatingly, once Jaiydn has had a kidney transplant, the disease could more than likely attack his new kidney too.

“Before the diagnosis I’d never even heard of this disease. Any help to raise awareness of DDD would be fantastic so any other child or parent going through this feels supported.”

To find out more about Dense Deposit Disease, please click here.