6 SUNDAY EXAMINER Sunday June 19, 2016 examiner.com.

au

NEWS

Fight
with
silent
killer
A family's battle
with kidney disease

‘‘
BY TOLI PAPADOPOULOS

W
HEN Nicole
Bassett, 15, had
complained
of a stomach
bug her mother had never
anticipated bitter news.
At the tender age of seven,
Ms Bassett was diagnosed
with chronic kidney disease,
and this life-changing
discovery would ultimately
reshaping the family’s
identities.
Distraught and anxious,
her mother, Alison Clayton,
did what any loving parent
would do and decided to
arm herself with as much
information as possible.
“It was a very stressful
time. You go from having
a child that is ok, to a child
that now has this life-threat-
ening illness and needs a
transplant and everything
changes - it revolves around
the kidneys,” she said.
Through her mother’s
devotion, Ms Bassett
developed a comprehensive
knowledge of the life-long
disease, having a direct say
in her choice of dialysis, so
that she could live a normal
life undisrupted.
It means that she has to
have eight hours a night of
peritoneal dialysis, with one
night off each week.
A tube is hooked up to her
stomach while she sleeps,
which cleans out all the
toxins in her kidneys, and
prepares her for a transplant.
“We attach the cord to her,
but you’ve got to maintain
a strict hygiene regimine,
because there’s a chance she
could get peritonitis, we had
a couple of scares last year,”
Ms Clayton said.
Ms Clayton said this
involves a severe inflam-
mation of the peritoneal,
which forms the lining of the
abdominal cavity, and can
have fatal consequences.
I feel like quite
confident and
I’m not as scared
anymore as
what I used to
be, I used to be
really scared
when I first
heard about the
transplant.
Nicole Bassett
As Ms Bassett sits on the
waiting list, she remains well
aware that the impending
kidney transplant may not
be her last.
“A transplant isn’t a cure,
it will help me get better
because I won’t have to
be on dialysis any more,”
she said.
“The transplant could
last 6 months, it could last
12 months, she will have to
have another transplant later
in life,” Ms Clayton said.
The mother-and-daughter
team travel back and forth to
the mainland to see a pedi-
atric nephrologist, as none
exist in Tasmania, due to the
small percentage of children
living with the disease.
As a sales assistant, her
mother had no medical
training whatsoever, though
she would eventually learn
how to perform peritoneal
dialysis on her daughter,
and the ins-and-outs of the
deadly disease.
Ms Clayton joined
support groups, committees,
and spent countless hours
researching kidney disease,
eventually going on to
become an active volunteer
for Kidney Health Australia.
“I realised I want to be
a part of that and support
DYNAMIC DUO: Alison Clayton with daughter Nicole Bassett with the fresenius dialysis machine.
kidney health, because
it’s part of my life too and
raise awareness for other
people out there under the
misconception that it is an
older person’s disease, it’s
not it affects, young people,
babies and young teens,” Ms
Clayton said.
According to a report by
the Australia & New Zealand
Dialysis & Transplant Reg-
istry, there are 227 people
on dialysis in Tasmania,
and 222 people living with a
transplant.
Kidney Health Australia
interim CEO Rosanna Care
said kidney disease was a
silent killer which did not
discriminate against age.
She said a person could
lose 90 per cent of their
kidney function without
showing any symptoms.
Chronic kidney disease
can develop over a period
of months or years, and can
often arise amongst other
problems with the kidney.
Kidney Health Australia
state health services coor-
dinator Sarah Chancellor
estimated that over 40,000
Tasmanians have some
indicator of kidney disease.
“It’s really important that
people talk to their doctors
and specialists about having
a kidney check.
“And also being aware
whether they’re in the risk
groups – people with diabe-
tes, high blood pressure or
cardiovascular disease.”
Ms Care said Tasmanians
waited an average of 3.7
years for a transplant, which
is higher than the national
average of 3.1 years.
She said Kidney Health
Australia is calling for a Na-
tional Action Plan for better
early detection of kidney
disease, increased living or-
gan donation, and a national
approach to dialysis.
They have supported Ms
Bassett and her mother with
activities such as the organ-
isation’s annual kids’ camp,
which provides children
with coping strategies and
puts them in contact with
others in circumstances.
“It gives her an opportu-
nity to see these people and
realise she's not the only one
and for her to realise these
kids are getting on and doing
what they want to do in life.
“It’s trying not to let the
disease control your life,” Ms
Clayton said.
Ms Bassett agreed,
highlighting the profound
effect of meeting others in
her situation.
“I feel like quite confi-
dent and I’m not as scared
anymore as what I used to
be, I used to be really scared
when I first heard about the
transplant,” she said.
“But then last year mum
knew a girl, Becky, who lived
in Melbourne, but unfortu-
nately she passed away.
“She came and talked to
me - because she had two
transplants and she told me
some things I could do to
help relieve the actual stress
on the actual day.”
Ms Clayton and her moth-
er said they were on call at
all times, as they prepare for
a phone call at any minute
which will see Ms Bassett
finally get a kidney trans-
plant at the Royal Children’s
Hospital in Melbourne.
Although she will be on
medication for the remain-
der of her life, the pair
remain optimistic for Ms
Bassett’s future.
“We’ve met some friends
from Hobart their daughter
had a kidney transplant, and
she’s doing really well. Now
so that’s inspiring. You know
it’s a tough battle but you
do come out of it the other
side,” Ms Clayton said.