Bernadette Ho Yi Xin, 15

School: CHIJ Secondary

Topic: Letter to a friend suffering from kidney failure

Award: Merit, Senior Category, 2021

Dear Chelsea,

I hope this email finds you well. Since the doctor’s consultation yesterday, I have researched both treatment options and am writing this letter to advise you on your treatment plan! I really am sorry to hear about your condition, but I want to assure you that I will be here for you throughout this difficult journey. Although you so need to go through some intense treatment, I believe we will be able to get through this together.

As the doctor had explained, when kidneys are no longer working effectively, waste products, electrolytes and fluid build-up in the blood. Dialysis is able to take over a portion of the function of the failing kidneys to remove the fluid and waste products, while a kidney transplant can even more completely take over the function of the failing kidneys.

Kidney transplantation is considered the treatment of choice for many people with severe chronic kidney disease, because quality of life and survival (life expectancy) are often better than in those who are treated with dialysis. However, there is a shortage of organs available for donation and many candidates for kidney transplantation are put on a transplant waiting list and require dialysis until a kidney is available. The best part about having a kidney transplant is that a successful kidney transplant can improve your quality of life and has a lower mortality rate. In addition, people who undergo kidney transplantation do not require hours of dialysis treatment. Nevertheless, kidney transplantation is a major surgical procedure that has risks both during and after surgery. The risks of the surgery include some infection, bleeding and damage to the surrounding organs and like any other procedures, has a small chance of death, even though it is rare. After kidney transplantation, you will be required to take medications and have frequent monitoring to minimise the chance of organ rejection, which must continue for your entire lifetime. The downside of this is that these medications can have significant side effects, which include increased risk of severe infections, diabetes and some cancers.

Dialysis, on the other hand, is a process by which your blood is pumped through a dialysis machine to remove waste products and excess fluids. Dialysis can be done at a dialysis center or at home. When done in a center, it is most commonly done three times a week and takes between three and five hours per session. The great news about dialysis is that it generally requires relative few hours of treatment per day and does not usually include treatments every day. Having said that, the con is dialysis include the most common complication, low blood pressure during treatments, and can be accompanied by light-headedness, shortness of breath, abdominal cramps, nausea, or vomiting. Treatments and preventive measures are available for these potential problems. In addition, the access can cause a blood stream infection or get clogged up and need surgery or other procedures to open it up.

If it were up to me, I would go for a kidney transplantation. Not only would it save several hours at a dialysis treatment would only be cured after several weeks and months, whereas a new kidney from a transplant would have a more immediate positive effect on the patient, and would last for 10 to 12 years. Even though a kidney transplant poses more risks, I strongly recommend you to consider a kidney transplantation, as it is a more long-term and practical solution.

With all this said, I hope you take all of the above into consideration when making this bid decision. I cannot imagine how hard it has been for you and your loved ones, but you will definitely be kept in my prayers. Hope you feel better soon!

Yours sincerely,
Riley

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2021 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health).

To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg