A Fighter in His Own Right
Born in a family of ten children, 58 year-old Mr. Wang Tah Teng, does not expect his life to be a bed of roses. With seven younger siblings in the family and minimum education, Mr. Wang started working as a coffeeshop assistant in his early 20s. In his younger days, he drank heavily and paid little attention to his diet and health. As a result, he suffered from hypertension. Even then, Mr. Wang often skipped his medication, as he was afraid of taking medicine.
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A Life Renewed
It is never easy being a dialysis patient with hours spent each week commuting to the dialysis centre, and many more spent on the chair for the dialysis sessions. Dialysis patients go through untold physical and mental stresses. The patient is often subjected to pain caused by the direct application of needles into the body. For many patients, high dialysis fees are a constant worry, a financial burden that’s insurmountable at times.
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Renal Friends: A Pillar of Strength
Today, Mdm Hoo Moi is a shining example of just how a positive outlook can dramatically transform and enhance the quality of one’s life. She is, without a doubt, a role model and exemplary figure for all other patients. Despite having kidney failure for many years now, she makes the best with what life has given her, living each day to the fullest. But this wasn’t always the case – life wasn’t always a bed of roses for Mdm Hoo Moi.
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Staying Strong, Our Patients; A Spirit that Perseveres
Staying strong is more than just being optimistic, more than having a resilient mind; it is about having that will to live and being able to stand up to all of life’s challenges, undeterred. Since its commencement, KDF has witnessed many individuals who are life’s warriors. They are the patients who possess the spirit that perseveres from within.
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The Resilience Behind His Smile
Behind his smile, lies a story of strength and determination. Mr Mohamed Saini Bin Jumali is one of the many kidney patients receiving subsidized dialysis at KDF Dialysis Centres, and he has been with us under the subsidy program for more than a decade. For those who are unaware about his health condition, he looks like a healthy person with the exception of having to walk with the assistance of a walking stick.
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Courage From Ties That Bind
In his younger years, 48-year-old Tay Say Seng worked as a gardener and earned $300 per month. Earlier this year, his kidneys had succumbed to the disease and he was laid off on the onset of end stage renal failure. Devastated by the severity of the disease and the loss of income, Say Seng had to turn to his family for care and support.
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When Everything Crumbles, He Is “My Tower of Strength”
On a sunny Thursday afternoon, my colleague and I arrived at the home of Mdm Krishnaveani and Mr Rajagopal, and were warmly greeted with wide smiles on their face. “Do you need a cup of water? The weather is so hot!” Mr Rajagopal asked with concern. It was like any other normal family where the couple sits in front of the television enjoying the company of each other. The only difference lies in the fact that Mdm Krishnaveani has to go through a lifetime of dialysis treatment...
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Never Say Die
At the age of 17, Alex* found out that he had chronic kidney disease during a routine check up when he was studying at one of the local polytechnics. He started taking medication to slow down the onset of kidney failure but soon after the completion of his National Service he stopped his medication as he could no longer afford it.
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Taking the Optimistic Approach
Having led a carefree and simple life for most of her lifetime, Malia Binte Jantan was shocked when she was first diagnosed with kidney failure. She felt that there was no prior indication that she was suffering from any major illnesses, hence when doctors told her that both her kidneys were failing, it was a concept she found difficult to grasp. Malia recounted, “I never imagined that I could be suffering from kidney failure as I thought that it was a disease that happens gradually and that there would be more apparent symptoms before the end stages. But looking back, I probably should have taken better care of my health, be more alert to the changes and conditions of my body and go for regular check-ups especially as I got older.”
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A Helping Hand Is All It Takes To Encourage & Give Hope
Mr Ismadi had a job as a security guard in a hotel, was married and had a daughter and son. He was leading a happy life. However, in 1999 Mr Ismadi met a big obstacle in his life’s journey. He was hospitalized due to kidney failure but he did not stay for long. He left the moment he was diagnosed. Mr Ismadi said “Back then, I could not accept that I had kidney failure, I had responsibilities to my family and 2 children to bring up.” After leaving the hospital, Mr Ismadi spent the next 6 months living on apples and bread as he could not eat anything else without being sick.
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