Marianella Sierra
Honduras
Living with kidney disease not only marked my mother’s life, it also profoundly transformed the lives of the whole family. As the daughter of a kidney patient, the most defining aspect was learning to live in constant alert. In the beginning, her complications kept her on the edge of life; every call from the hospital would paralyze us. I remember the anxiety of waiting for lab results, the long hours of dialysis, and the unexpected hospitalizations. Every medical decision weighed heavily on our shoulders, especially because my siblings and I lived in different cities and had to organize ourselves to support her while still caring for our own families.
The diagnosis was abrupt and overwhelming. What began as recurrent urinary infections and isolated symptoms ended in renal atrophy and later end-stage kidney disease. We felt we had arrived too late. At that time, in our country, there were few specialists and little information was available. Although we had a physician in the family who helped guide the process, adapting to this new reality was painful. Understanding that the disease was irreversible changed the way we saw the future.
Daily barriers were many: strict treatment schedules, rigorous dietary restrictions, long travel distances for care, costs not covered by insurance, and the complete reorganization of our family dynamics. But the emotional impact went even deeper. Watching our mother — always strong and self-sufficient — depend on a machine, and on us, was difficult for her and for us.
Yet her illness also awakened immense strength within her. From the moment of her diagnosis, she turned pain into purpose: educating other patients, promoting early detection, and advocating for public health policies. Her resilience carried us through to the end. She passed away 17 years ago, but her legacy lives on in every action we take for kidney patients.