Semaema Grace shares what it’s like to be on a donor waiting list for Bankstown storytelling event
Semaema Grace was just 13 when her kidneys began to fail. She is one of five people set to share their story about organ donation at Life Giving Stories — a life storytelling event at Bryan Brown Theatre.
The Express
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Semaema Grace was just 13 when her kidneys began to fail.
Attacking her body was lupus — an auto immune disease, that by the time she was 21, left her bedridden and in hospital for three months.
After steroids and chemotherapy the doctors sent her home and told her “there was nothing else they could do”.
So she began the painful process of dialysis but in 2012 she received a life-changing phone call — a kidney was waiting for her.
“It was like I was finally coming up for air, I could breathe again,” she said.
“I tasted what a normal life was like. I could do things like exercise and eat certain foods.”
But after three years, Ms Grace’s body rejected the kidney.
Today the 31-year-old is on dialysis at home every day for three hours, getting well enough so she can get back on the waiting list for a kidney.
The wait is daunting, but Ms Grace said she is “making the most of life.”
This Sunday, Ms Grace will share her story, along with four other people, at Life Giving Stories — a life storytelling event at Bryan Brown Theatre from 2pm-4pm.
The free event showcases powerful stories of organ and tissue recipients to highlight the importance of organ donation among culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
There are currently 1400 Australians on the waiting list.
Ms Grace said she wanted to encourage people to talk about organ donation: “It’s not nice to talk about death but it just comes down to having that conversation with your loved ones so your family know your wishes.”
DonateLife week runs from July 30 - August 6. To become a donor go to donatelife.gov.au.
Free tickets to Life Giving Stories: bit.ly/lifegivingstories2017
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