LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation, through the newly established project entitled Renal Unit Support Health Hub (R.U.S.H.), is to offer psychological support to current kidney patients, in collaboration with the Malta Chamber of Psychologists. It will be introducing a voucher scheme whereby patients will be able to receive free initial psychology therapy.

Psychological support will be Lifecycle's main focus for 2019.  It is a known fact that renal patients undergoing dialysis or transplant procedures suffer from serious psychological issues that are often overlooked. This complex condition poses multiple challenges, and the LifeCycle Foundation will be assisting on these challenges through R.U.S.H.

LifeCycle Founder Alan Curry said: "Although renal patients receive medical support from their respective hospitals and clinics, they also need continuous help from psychologists, dieticians, nutritionists, trainers and family councillors.  As LifeCycle, we strongly believe that a meaningful and holistic support framework needs to be established, in collaboration with medical professionals, in order for this to be done in a sustainable and durable manner. The increasing number of Maltese kidney patients and their families will, in due course, see and feel an improvement in their quality of life, notwithstanding their difficulties."        
For the past 19 years, LifeCycle Foundation has been focussing solely on assisting renal patients in Malta in a tangible manner. Renal failure is a deadly, painful, multi-faceted disease and considering that the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and obesity is on the increase, more people may be at a greater risk of kidney failure in the future.

LifeCycle Chairperson Dr Shirley Cefai said: "Through R.U.S.H., our aim is to be able to offer a comprehensive support network for renal patients.  Apart from psychological support, the programme will include disease and nutritional awareness, specialised lectures, fitness and walking activities, as well as targeting the determinants that cause kidney disease, which can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Over the coming years, we will be integrating this concept into a holistic support system for renal patients - a unique system which, as a voluntary organisation with finite resources, has been in our sights for a number of years."

Since 1999, LifeCycle Foundation has consistently focused on raising awareness on renal failure and on raising funds for renal patients. The funds collected from the yearly LifeCycle Challenge go towards essential life-saving equipment and improved facilities, such as dialysis machines, the sponsoring of the Twilight Shift Van, the software matching programme Traccia, the annual trip to Lourdes for patients and accompanying medical staff and towards kidney disease research at the University of Malta.