Claudio is 30 years old, and he is a sunny, cheerful and full of interests boy, he likes to play video games online with his friends and then go out with them in the evening, he loves good food, so much that he really also likes to cook, "... many times, I find myself cooking even at 4 pm! " he told me.
However, he had to grow up quickly and come to terms with realities that are anything but pleasant for a child to face, because from birth he suffers from a serious kidney disease: bladder ureteral reflux (BUR).
This important pathology already develops in paediatric age, due to valvular insufficiency, the urine flows back from the bladder through the ureters reaching the kidneys, exhausting the pelvis and creating inflammatory lesions and scarring of the renal parenchyma, all this has led Claudio to suffer in a short time from reflux nephropathy (RR) and after a while from chronic renal failure which brought him here, to our kidney centre in Ladispoli.
Despite everything, Claudio is a boy who does not give up, he wants to live a normal life to the full of his abilities, let us talk a little with him, about his life, about how he faces his pathology and his hopes for the future.
- Claudio works as a barman and has a dream in the drawer.
“I am a barman and I like to be a barman. I like to say good morning to people and make them a good coffee, I like to chat with the customer who eventually becomes a friend. I like preparing coffees and the busier I am, the more I enjoy. I was lucky to find people who understood my situation, I realize that I am sometimes a "burden" for the employer and for my colleagues when I am forced to warn at the last moment that I cannot go to work, but they have always shown themselves to be understanding and helpful.
I love engines, I like to drive and from an early age my dream was to become a Formula 1 driver. "
-At the age of only 2 he had a "JJ" nephrostomy on his right kidney and at 10 on his left kidney, he has undergone several operations during his life.
"I started wandering around hospitals from birth ... distant thoughts now ... all those check-ups, the longest period I spent in the hospital was when I was around 10 years old, I was hospitalized for about 6 months ... I even celebrated my birthday in hospital. Then still today I continue to go in and out for other visits and interventions. "
-It is hard for a young boy to deal with dialysis therapy.
“I've had better times. This period of dialysis for me is the worst I have ever lived, I have had many operations even as a child, but they have never put me so much fear and discomfort as the one I am experiencing at the moment, especially for food restrictions, I feel guilty just for drinking an extra glass of water. In order to be able to enter the transplant list I had to lose weight and make many sacrifices, therefore gaining weight, I risk not being able to have the transplant and so when I drink and eat more I feel a little frustrated. "
-The family is always close to him.
“My mom is very close to me, she has always tried to understand dialysis therapy and my problems in order to be able to help me manage it better. Diet, weight loss and weight gain have almost no secrets for her anymore and sometimes she is the first to scold me when I overdo it!
Many people sometimes seeing me calm and active do not understand the situation well, they only realize it when I physically have some defaillance and I give in to fatigue.
- The expectation of the transplant is the hope for a more peaceful life.
“I hope this kidney will arrive soon, what I'm experiencing right now is not life, at least for a young boy with a great desire to live. Doing dialysis is like doing another job, a job that you don't like, but that you have to do, instead with a transplant I would finally start a new life. "
.. and this is what we all wish you dear Claudio with all our heart. Thank you for giving us the contribution of your life experience.