For most young adults, completing nursing school marks the beginning of a fulfilling career, financial independence and a future dedicated to saving lives.

But for Patience Appau Owusu, a 28-year-old trained nurse, graduation did not lead to a career in hospital wards. Instead, hospital wards became her unlikely home as she was admitted countless times.

Her life has been agonisingly put on hold as she fights a gruelling battle for survival against stage 5 chronic kidney disease.

“I always compare myself to them (course mates) in my mind. That if not for sickness, I’d also be working by now. So, I always feel sad about that. That if not for this sickness, I would’ve been working with them,” Patience said as she panted for breath.

A promising future interrupted

Just as she was preparing to write her final licensing examinations at Tepa Nursing Training School in the Ahafo Ano North Municipality of the Ashanti Region, Patience’s world unravelled.

What began as subtle physical struggles deteriorated into a chronic condition after a hospital diagnosis revealed a devastating truth: her kidneys were failing.

“I was at Tepa. I was about to write my final exams; those were my licence exams. That was when I started feeling sick. So, I went to a hospital called Pesga, and the doctor told me I was having kidney failure. That was when I discovered I was having kidney failure. So, he referred me to Sunyani Teaching Hospital, where I met a doctor over there. Then, he started the procedure there. From then, I came to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.”

Patience’s existence has since been confined to regular dialysis sessions and a desperate wait for a life-saving kidney transplant.

The once-active and vibrant young woman, full of energy and potential to become a nurse and serve her community, now relies on her mother for even the most basic daily needs, including bathing, walking and eating.

“In my daily routine, my mum will bathe me... even when I want to eat, they have to feed me. Because when I try to do something on my own, I feel exhausted. Even when I want to walk, my mum needs to support me... I can’t do something without getting exhausted.”

There is little Patience can do now, as the years of toil and sleepless nights spent preparing for her examinations have been overshadowed by her illness.

“When I look at the old me, because I was very active, the old me and I have always had an aspiration to work hard. But due to this sickness, I can’t do anything on my own. I can’t go anywhere. Even when I look at my certificates too, I cry.”

Confined to a bed on the floor, she battles fluctuating body temperatures and severe physical discomfort and struggles to lie down comfortably for long periods.

“Even when I look at my certificates, I cry.”

Four years of kidney failure

Patience has lived with the condition for the past four years.

She requires three dialysis sessions a week, the cost of two of which, until recently, was absorbed by the government. She has been on dialysis for the past three months.

Despite the state support, the financial burden of medication and regular dialysis has pushed her single mother, a seamstress in Tepa, to the brink.

“I am unable to work as a seamstress in Tepa.

“Why me? Why should I be the one to fight this complex disease? I cannot leave her side to work. This has brought untold hardship on us.”

Patience is one of many kidney failure patients receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).

Lupus behind kidney failure

Doctors say Patience first developed an autoimmune condition called lupus, which subsequently affected her kidneys.

Consultant Nephrologist at KATH and Associate Professor at the KNUST School of Medical Sciences, Prof Elliot Koranteng Tannor, explained that Patience’s kidneys are no longer functioning adequately.

“Unfortunately for her, she’s developed kidney failure, and when we say kidney failure or end-stage kidney disease, what it means is that the kidneys are practically not working. And because of that, she’s going to require some support, which we call haemodialysis, to be able to survive,” he said.

Prof Tannor also explained how autoimmune conditions affect the body.

“For her in particular, we believe what may have caused her condition is this autoimmune. When we say autoimmune, what we are saying is that for some reason, especially in females, some part of the body starts fighting other parts of the body, right? So instead of your body fighting against infections, somehow, things can go amiss, and they begin to fight the organs of the body. So when they fight the heart, or they fight the liver, or they fight the kidney, we have names for it. And for her in particular, this autoimmune condition which we call lupus has affected her kidney,” Prof Tannor added.

Growing burden of kidney disease

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has, over the past 10 years, seen kidney-related cases at its Outpatient Department quadruple.

At least 70 per cent of cases seen at KATH are in their end stages because patients report late.

The renal dialysis centre sees at least 20 cases daily, with kidney failure caused by lupus being common among patients seeking care.

Prof Tannor says a kidney transplant offers the long-term solution to Patience’s condition.

“As I speak to you now, she’s already started kidney replacement therapy, which we call haemodialysis. And she’s going to need this haemodialysis for the rest of her life until she’s able to replace, or until she’s able to get a kidney transplantation.”

$100,000 needed for transplant

Although a donor is available, the cost of the transplant surgery and related care is estimated at US$100,000 — an amount Patience and her family cannot afford.

Patience is therefore appealing to the public for financial assistance to raise the funds needed for the transplant surgery and reclaim her life, particularly her dream of returning to the nursing profession.

For Donations:

MoMo Account: 0593038842 - Account Name: Daniel Biofio
Reference: Kidney

Bank Account: 02514278803503 UBA, Tema Branch (The Multimedia Foundation)
Reference: Kidney