Getting diagnosed with kidney disease can be a huge challenge, both for patients and the people around them.
For this reason the World Kidney Day Steering Committee declared 2021 “the year of Living Well with Kidney Disease”, to increase education and awareness about effective symptom management and patient empowerment, with the ultimate goal of encouraging life participation
As Ghana joined the rest of the world to commemorate the on Thursday March 11, 2021, the founder of “Yes We Cann Foundation”, Thomas Cann, has advised persons living with kidney disease to remain unrelenting in their quest to survive.
He notes that getting diagnosed with kidney disease is a major life changing event which most people find it difficult to come to terms with.
Speaking on ATLFM’s ATLANTIC WAVE, Mr. Cann said having Kidney disease is not the end of life and with little extra effort and perseverance one can live long.
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“Lots of times those of us living with kidney disease tend to give up on themselves have met a lot of other patients who are no more with us just because they gave up on themselves in the sense that when they are diagnosed with kidney disease ,they think it is the end of the world . This year’s theme has to do more with patients because once you have the kidney disease you need fight and live with it”, he remarked.
He further indicated, “Most of the times when people are diagnosed they find it difficult to come to terms with it .Because it is one disease that when you are affect by it, it changes everything about it .Over 8 years now, it has just being by God’s grace .Initially when it happened, it was difficult for me to look into the mirror or take photograph because I had changed so much. It took much efforts psychologically to accept and embraced it”.
SOURCE: VERA SIRIPI/ATLFMNEWS