Living Kidney Donation

What About the Carers ?

I have read quite a few blogs over the past few months to do with organ donation and in particular kidney donation.  Every now and then one will take hold of my heart strings and pull them –  and I find I am fighting back the tears.  Here is one such blog.  This is a lady who is a Great Grandmother of 67 years old and has 14 grandchildren.  They live in Oklahoma, USA. She makes hair ribbons and her blog started mainly to do with that.  Then her husband had to stop work becuase of his illness and she was later  made redundant.  He has recently started home dialysis. She is scared that if he is ever well enough to have a transplant, that the  healthcare insurance they have won’t pay for medications.  They have to travel 100 miles to hospital for check ups.

QUOTE:

I’m not the one on dialysis my husband is. So anything I say is from my point of view. My moods go up and down depending on how his moods are and how he is feeling. He sure has had some rough patches the last 3 weeks. A heart attack and one week later his lungs filled with fluid one week later high fevers and stopped eating. He is now falling so I got a walker out for him that was stored in the garage, I can’t get him to use it. He’s only 55 and way to young to be this sick. He told me this morning that he didn’t think he would make it. So I watch him sleep and my heart is broken watching this sweet man waste away. Today is our 18th anniversary……
UNQUOTE

Here is a link to her blog … http://mommyandmeboutique.blogspot.com/

I know she is in the USA and not the UK but carers are carers no matter where they come from.  Reading stories like Judy’s also make me appreciate our National Health System.  No-one should have to struggle to pay for operations or medication.

There are so many carers in the world who’s lives are taken over by having to deal with an illness thrust upon them.  No matter how much they love the person they care for – it takes its toll. 

They become a prisoner of the disease their loved one has.  My heart just goes out to them all.

EDIT:
It is with very great sadness I have to report that Judy’s husband Gary died on April 12th 2010, which also happened to be his birthday. He was only 56 years old, far too young to die.

My heart goes out to Judy and her family and I Pray that she gets comfort and peace. What a very sad day indeed.

Diabetes is dangerous. Read Judy’s account here Diabetes is Dangerous and the outcome Devastating