March is Kidney Month in Canada. This is the time the Kidney Foundation of Canada has designated for a nation-wide canvass.
The Kidney Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of people living with kidney disease. Its goals are, first and foremost, to fund research and clinical education.
Last year, the Kidney Foundation donated $3.5 million to kidney-related research. It also has advocated strongly to access quality health care throughout Canada.
The Foundation also is actively promoting awareness of–and commitment to–organ donation, which is the best possible treatment for kidney disease at the present time.
There currently are 883 people in Ontario alone who are waiting for a kidney transplant. People are waiting for months–and even years–for a transplant. Many die before an organ becomes available.
The following story shares the experience of Carolyn, 49, a First Nations’ patient from Sioux Lookout.
< *c>Carolyn
Carolyn was diagnosed with kidney failure in August, 1994 after living with lupus for 14 years. The onset of her kidney failure came about suddenly with a general sick feeling and fatigue.
After lying down for a short nap one afternoon, Carolyn slept for three days. It was at that time she recognized something was not right and sought medical attention, which led to the diagnosis of kidney disease.
Carolyn was receiving hemodialysis in Sioux Lookout until a breakdown in her family life brought her to Thunder Bay last spring. The move there was not an easy one since Carolyn knew few people in the city.
Finding suitable accommodations was one of the challenges she faced because she wanted to be within walking distance of the hospital.
The move to a new community is a difficult undertaking which many First Nations people from Northwestern Ontario must make in order to receive dialysis. Fortunately, Carolyn appears to have handled this transition well and is coping with the assistance of her children.
Although Carolyn’s life relies on her three weekly visits to the hemodialysis unit, she has found her activity level has increased in a number of ways. She has more physical energy, and she has more access to activities in Thunder Bay such as bowling and golfing.
But Carolyn no longer can work and misses her former job as a finance clerk.
Still, her positive attitude seems to help her through her treatments. Carolyn enjoys her participation in the First Nations support group for kidney patients. She has a lot to share with others regarding how she is managing her life as a dialysis patient.
A born-again Christian, Carolyn found the news of a lifetime of treatment was a heavy burden on her shoulders but she never asked, “Why me?”
She has accepted the fact she has renal failure and prays, “Lord, help me through this and strengthen me.”
When a canvasser calls on you this month, please remember Carolyn, and all kidney patients in our community, and give generously.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
