139 - My Journey with Chronic Kidney Disease – From Dialysis to Hope

With November being disability awareness month in South Africa and 14 November being the annual day dedicated to recognising those living with diabetes, it seemed an appropriate time to publish this interview. In this special two-part episode, I unpack my journey with chronic kidney disease in conversation with Jeremy Opperman. In episode 138, we discuss my diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes when I was six years old and trace the impact of diabetes on my life, resulting in my blindness at the age of 21. We then turn to my subsequent discovery that I was experiencing chronic kidney disease and track the steps that led to my starting on dialysis in January 2025. In episode 139 we explore how I’ve adapted to dialysis as a blind woman, trying to offer insights into some of the medical realities. Finally, we discuss what the future holds as I start to discover more about a possible kidney transplant. *Note: this conversation was recorded a few months ago and much has changed since then. I now have a kidney donor and am working my way through the process of preparing for the transplant. Correction: , at one point I refer to the AV graft as an artificial vascular graft. The correct term is arteriovenous Graft, which connects an artery with a vein allowing access for the dialysis to take place. Image Description: A stylised graphic of a woman with a ponytail walking with a white cane, next to an icon of an eye with curved lines suggesting vision or awareness. Below the graphic is the text:A Different Way of Seeing with Lois Strachan I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Web: https://www.loisstrachan.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.