30 Mar 2026

Living with chronic kidney disease is not easy and often involves phases of grief, shock and denial before reaching acceptance.

Patients may fear the progression of the disease and the need for dialysis but despite the challenges, many learn to manage the condition effectively as they find strength through family support and faith.

For Mr Sedika Modisaemang of Maun, working closely with healthcare officers, support from family members and adopting a strict healthy diet helped him to live a fulfilling life.

He became around June last year and was forced to adopt a new life, one that he could not have imagined.

Mr Modisaemang began accessing specialised health services in Francistown and the introduction of a new hemodialysis unit (kidney dialysis) at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital in Maun that operated in a public-private partnership was an answer to him and other patients with a similar condition.

He was diagnosed with kidney disease around August last year during a routine test and immediately started hemodialysis which is performed three times a week.

“Being told your kidneys are weak hopelessness and sadness, but I had to face the reality of the situation and with the support of my family, I eventually accepted my illness,” said Mr Modisaemang when sharing his journey with chronic kidney disease during the World Kidney Day recently.

While the disease presents significant challenges such as dietary restrictions and mild painful treatments, he said it did not define his him because he still led an active life.

Dialysis has become part of his life and he appreciates and that, together with adhering to doctor’s advice has kept him going.

Determination and being strict on himself, which meant, eating healthily, being physically active and drinking water as recommended, improved his condition.

“The most difficult thing for me was reducing meat consumption. I like meat a lot but I am trying to reduce how much I eat it. Leading a fulfilled life with the disease requires making positive choices and I appeal to fellow patients to obey doctors’ orders,” Mr Modisaemang advised.

Ms Segametsi Segosebe who takes care of her 85 year-old mother living with kidney disease also testified that coming to terms with her condition put a strain on the patient and the family.

Her mother suffered from uncontrollable high blood pressure and when she was diagnosed with kidney failure, they were shocked because she had no other symptoms.

She said she needed kidney transplant because her quality of life was deteriorated but opted for peritoneal dialysis which was performed at home because of her age.

“What makes her history remarkable is how she reacted to this tough challenge at her age, our mother cooperated and followed treatment to the latter. We did everything the nutritionist and doctor told us to do and currently, she the disease is stable. She can walk and even visits relatives,” said Ms Segosebe.

While the disease is interlinked with other conditions, she emphasised that early diagnosis was crucial, to prevent it from progressing and also to enable one to get help on time.

Kidney specialist, Dr Seabe Thupa, explained that one out of ten people had the disease, which often had no outward signs or symptoms in the early stages.

This means, it can go undetected until it is very advanced.

Dr Thupa therefore, urged people to prioritise regular testing of blood and urine, to prevent fatal consequences.

Although, highly preventable through lifestyle changes and management of underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, Dr Thupa said other prevention steps that included maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, limiting intake of alcohol salt and fatty foods as well as quitting smoking and avoiding overuse of pain killers helped.

“To protect your overall long-term health, you should love your kidneys and follow the health officials advices to prevent chronic kidney disease which is often silent until advanced stage. Drink enough water to help kidneys clear toxins and get checked before symptoms appear,” he advised. Ends