So, I’ve been apart of the kidney health industry for a long time-on the patient side of things. And one thing I’ve come to find very interesting about this illness that I’ve dealt with my whole life, is how little people actually know about it.
I’ve talked to several people about some of the things we deal with and go through and everyone always leaves the conversation shocked at what they learn. Now while people who are on dialysis literally depend on a machine to live, it is shocking to me the amount of depression/anxiety/suicide and even assisted suicide, that is prevalent in this community.
It saddens my heart on a whole new level to hear that a 24 yr old woman who was on dialysis, chose to give up her fight because she felt like too much of a burden. She just chose to stop coming to her treatments and she passed away 2 weeks later. That breaks my heart, and it happens in this community so much.
We need to be more open and understanding of dialysis and kidney disease because a huge percentage of people suffer from it, and those numbers have only continued to grow in recent years. Dialysis takes an enormous toll on the body and brain. The feeling of it is quite hard to explain, but to me, it’s like someone is sucking all the toxins and fluid from your body with a giant straw. You feel drained and your mind feels fuzzy. It also strains your heart as your heart Tries to pump fast enough to keep up with the machine.
Then there’s the mental battle of it all. The depression that so many feel, but yet keep inside is so heart breaking. I’m determined to talk about this and try to spread awareness for all my fellow warriors. So please if you know someone battling kidney disease or on dialysis, even some kind words could help change how someone feels.