10 Year waiting game - From Renal failure to Living Together

Hi there, my name is Craige, and I am fundraising for the chance to finally be together with my girlfriend (future wife).

We met over 10 years ago on a game called World of Warcraft (super nerdy, I know!) and spent much of our lives on this game. We’ve spoken every single day since. I was born in Newcastle, and my girlfriend, Johanna, was born in Sweden.

Over the decade, we’ve been hit hard by challenges. Since I was born with renal failure, it’s been incredibly tricky for me to travel or move to Sweden to be with her. With the ups and downs of my health, Johanna has always been my rock, visiting as often as possible. Despite her efforts, the costs were overwhelming, and sometimes we went a full year and a half without seeing each other.

Our journey faced its first major blow with Brexit, right when we were looking into living together full-time without needing to marry. As you know, the outcome of Brexit made things much harder for cross-border couples like us. Then came years of health struggles, followed by the pandemic.

During the first part of COVID, Johanna was stuck here with me while we tried to navigate paperwork, airport regulations, and countless fees. By the time we got her back home, we had spent over £1,000 on applications and tests alone.

At the time, I was claiming PIP and UC (after court battles to prove that my life depended on being on dialysis). This was an exhausting period for us both, but Johanna stood by my side through it all.

We explored options to live together—schemes like IKEA sponsorship or finding jobs that could sponsor a visa—but none worked out.

Depression began to set in for both of us as we faced endless roadblocks and conflicting information from the UK and Swedish governments. We couldn’t afford a lawyer or legal representation, and even getting married felt like an insurmountable hassle.

Fast forward to now: I received a kidney transplant two years ago. Johanna and I are ready to move forward with our dream of being together. I’ve moved to Scotland, where life is amazing, and I’m currently in recovery while volunteering at my local leisure centre to build up my strength after 12 years of haemodialysis.

Johanna is self-employed and covers her bills, but moving to the UK comes with significant financial hurdles. Thankfully, because I’m on disability and in recovery, we’re exempt from the income requirement of £29k per year once we’re married. However, we still face enormous costs, including NHS surcharges, visa fees, and moving expenses.

Here’s a rough breakdown:

Fiancé visa: £1,500+

Spouse visa (after 6 months): £1,800+

NHS Supercharge - £2500 for 2 years

Moving costs, including her dog (a lovely husky): £2,000

We know we need more but we will be getting everything we can together for the move itself! And to get loki here! So dont want to ask for everything! Anything would help

Additionally, during the initial six months on a fiancé visa, Johanna would need to cover rent until we can apply for the spouse visa, which allows her to work.

Our dream is to build a simple, sustainable life together. Johanna’s goal is to live in an eco-friendly tiny home with a small bit of land to grow food and care for animals. Meanwhile, I plan to work in the care sector once fully recovered while continuing to give back through volunteering.

We’ve been struggling with this for nearly 10 years, and it’s largely due to my disability. We are so close to making our dream a reality, and we’d love any help—whether it’s covering a small application fee or contributing to the larger costs.

We have gone 10 years trying and sticking to every law and barrier and its still impossible.

We are beyond grateful for your kindness and support and would love the chance to connect with each and every one of you.

Thank you so much!

(Johanna)

The funds will be used to cover visa, moving, and more

I will provide updates on Facebook where everything's going!

We have been through quite a lot for the past ten years. But the funny moments what made us power through it all.

But the sad reality of it all is that we have a limited amount of time left. Since Craige can still lose his Kidney or die at any time. We have put our life on hold for the past 10 years already, I want nothing more than to finally be able to

start out life together for real. 

I know it's a lot to ask of the public, but a little can go a long way and I'm entirely grateful for all the help that might be given.

Craige is the love of my life and the funniest guy I know. He has been my best friend and support. He even gave me Loki so I wouldn't be so lonely during our time apart