East educator promotes healthy kidney awareness
A person can lose up to 90% of their kidney function before experiencing any symptoms
After being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease an east educator took it upon herself to create awareness of the so-called silent killer.
Thuli Modisane started the #SaveYourKidneys movement in a bid to educate the public on the seriousness of the disease.
Modisane told Rekord that when her symptoms surfaced she did not act for a long time as she did not think her swollen feet (one of the symptoms of CKD) were attributable to the disease.
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Following her diagnosis, she researched the disease and was shocked to learn that more than 850 million people suffered from CKD worldwide and it was worrisome to her that there was little awareness around it.
So, she decided to spread information about testing regularly to catch the disease early.
She also has annual events on world kidney day, and this year she was at La Montagne Primary School where she taught attendees about a healthy lifestyle, early detection test and kidney function tests.
“I started this to educate young learners, children do not understand what CKD is …many people in the community are not aware of the effects of this so-called silent killer. That is why I am fighting to spread the message so people can learn and safeguard themselves.
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“As a school, we had aerobics session by a professional fitness instructor. My initiative #Saveyourkidneys is a movement I intend on growing,” said Modisane.
“Next year my goal is to make this a public event and invite local inspirational celebrities.”
She wished to have more attendees at her future events so more people could gain knowledge about the disease.
So, what is chronic kidney disease?
According to the world kidney day organisation, CKD is a progressive loss in kidney function over a period of months or years.
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“Each of your kidneys has about a million tiny filters, called nephrons. If nephrons are damaged, they stop working.
“For a while, healthy nephrons can take on the extra work. But if the damage continues, more and more nephrons shut down. After a certain point, the remaining nephrons cannot filter your blood well enough to keep you healthy.
“When kidney function falls below a certain point, it is called kidney failure which affects your whole body and can make you feel very ill. Untreated kidney failure can be life-threatening.”
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