The young mum is living with end stage kidney disease and depends on dialysis three times a week to stay alive
Amy is just 23-years-old and a devoted mum to her 3-year-old daughter
This is Amy Mackay. She’s just 23 years old and a devoted mum to her 3-year-old daughter.
But sadly Amy is currently living with end stage kidney disease and depends on dialysis three times a week to stay alive. Each session lasts four hours and has a huge impact on every part of her life – from what she can eat and drink to how much energy and freedom she has day to day.
Amy from Carrickfergus, was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney disease last September, meaning her kidneys are close to or have completely failed. She says her life has changed a lot in a short space of time.
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Stage 5 kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), is a severe stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) where the kidneys are no longer able to filter waste from the blood. Amy went straight onto dialysis a couple days later and is now in need of a kidney transplant. She says her greatest wish is simple – to be able to spend more time with her little girl Zaria and watch her grow up.
Amy says the only way she can live a more “normal” life without dialysis is through a kidney transplant. Sadly, she does not yet have a living donor match and may have to wait years on the transplant list.
After Zaria was born in December 2021, Amy began to experience migraines, which she put down to suffering from preeclampsia during her pregnancy.
She told Belfast Live: “When I finally got the diagnosis it was a huge shock. I have been on dialysis for over a year now. I attend my local unit three times per week, each dialysis session lasts four hours.. Dialysis has a direct impact on my whole life. From the restrictions on the foods and fluids I can have, my social life and the amount of freedom I have in my day-to-day life.
Mum to 3-year-old Zaria, Amy was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney disease last September
“I have a 3-year-old child who has now started nursery and the juggle of being a mummy with my additional health needs is terrifying. My wish is that I am able to spend more time with her and watch her grow up. My only option to lead a more normal life, without dialysis, is a kidney transplant. Currently I do not have a suitable living donor which means I might have to wait 2-3 years on a deceased donor kidney offer.”
If you have ever considered becoming a living kidney donor, please take a moment to find out more. You could help give Amy, and others like her, the chance of a brighter future.
Eligibility criteria for potential donors:
Must be aged 18+ and a UK residentGenerally well, with no ongoing treatments or investigationsNo diabetesBMI under 30
Amy Mackay says her life has changed a lot in a short space of time
Looking for the chance of a brighter future, Amy added: “A live donor would be a smaller time frame after all the testing etc but it’s still a lot faster than two or three years. You can live a perfectly healthy life with one kidney. My own father would love to give me one but he’s already donated one of his as an organ donor. Getting a kidney would mean people like me getting off dialysis faster and being able to enjoy precious moments with my little girl.”
If being a kidney donor is something you have thought about and want to know more – please contact the living donor team in Belfast to express an interest via www.donatelife.co.uk or email DonateLife@belfasttrust.hscni.net.
For more information, visit the Kidney Care UK website through this link. Find out more about Organ Donation NI here.
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