Patience Appau Owusu, a 28-year-old trained nurse from Ghana, has seen her life take a drastic turn due to stage 5 chronic kidney disease. Despite completing nursing school, she has been unable to work at hospital wards, instead becoming a patient herself, admitted countless times. Her condition has left her relying on her mother for basic daily needs, including bathing, walking, and feeding.
Patience's struggles began when she was preparing to write her final licensing examinations at Tepa Nursing Training School in the Ashanti region. She started feeling sick, and hospital diagnosis revealed that her kidneys were failing. She was referred to Sunyani Teaching Hospital and later to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where she has been undergoing regular dialysis sessions and waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant.
Patience's daily routine has become a challenge, with her mother having to assist her with even the simplest tasks. She requires three dialysis sessions a week, with the cost of two of them previously covered by the government. However, the financial burden of expensive medications and regular dialysis has taken a toll on her single mother, a seamstress at Tepa, who has had to put her work on hold to care for her daughter.
According to Consultant Nephrologist Prof. Elliot Koranteng Tannor, Patience developed an autoimmune condition called lupus, which affected her kidneys. He explained that her condition is a result of her body fighting its own organs, and that the permanent solution to her condition is a kidney transplant. However, the cost of the surgery and palliative care is estimated at $100,000, which Patience cannot afford.
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has seen a significant increase in kidney-related cases over the past 10 years, with at least 70% of cases reported in their end stages. The renal dialysis centre sees at least 20 cases daily, with kidney failure caused by lupus being a common condition in the consulting rooms. Prof. Tannor emphasized that early detection and treatment are crucial in preventing such cases.
Patience is now appealing to the public for financial assistance to raise funds for her transplant surgery, which she hopes will allow her to reclaim her life and career. Her story highlights the challenges faced by patients with kidney failure in Ghana and the need for support and resources to help them access life-saving treatment.
Key points
- A 28-year-old Ghanaian nurse is fighting for life against stage 5 chronic kidney disease, which has put her career and daily life on hold.
- The cost of the transplant surgery and palliative care is estimated at $100,000, which the patient cannot afford.
- The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has seen a significant increase in kidney-related cases over the past 10 years, with at least 70% of cases reported in their end stages.
