'Gina Toth 10' take on Kilimanjaro challenge

Siblings and friends aim to raise £37k in memory of their sister and friend

A GROUP of five siblings from Thatcham are preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in memory of their sister who died last year.

Lauren Struckmeyer, aged 24, 21-year-old Lee Struckmeyer, Inge Struckmeyer, aged 27, 24-year-old Daine Hammond, and Jason Hammond, aged 19, are aiming to get the summit of

the highest mountain in Africa with five other family friends, in memory of Gina Toth, who died nine days after a kidney transplant operation in October, aged 31.

The siblings are being supported in their fundraising efforts by their mother, Kim Hammond, aged 50, of Coldstream Way, as they hope to raise at least £3,750 each for Kidney Research UK before the challenge in June next year.

Miss Toth first had kidney failure when she was four years old, and had a transplant at 14.

This failed 10 years ago and since then Miss Toth had been on dialysis at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading.

Her uncle donated a kidney, but following complications, Miss Toth died nine days after the operation.

Ms Hammond said that words could not describe the trauma felt by the whole family when her daughter died.

She said: "For me it was bad because I gave permission to turn the machine off.

"When you get a death in the family of a young person, it changes the dimensions."

Talking about the challenge, she said: "We are going to dive into this because it fills in the gap that she left.

"This has really brought the family together, that we are doing something for Gina.

"If we can help anybody else we will.

"We feel very passionate about this."

Ms Hammond said that the money raised would go towards vital research into kidney failure, and added: "If we were more aware of some of the signs of kidney failure, my daughter would not be dead."

To make a donation, log on to www.justgiving.com/laurenclimbingkiliforkidneyresearchuk