Sally Johnson is a children's kidney doctor in Birmingham
I’ve been a paediatrician for about 12 years. I specialize in looking after children with kidney disease, some of whom go on to need dialysis and transplantation. I feel really privileged to be involved with families at these difficult times. Kidney disease doesn’t have such a high profile in children as other diseases like cancer, but for the families the impact is just as great. Imagine telling your child they can’t eat chocolate, or chips, or tomato ketchup. Imagine restricting their intake to only 500ml fluid each day. Children with kidney failure require support with nutrition, and are often connected up to feed pumps overnight from a very young age. The thought of giving up to 20 doses of medication each day to a toddler would daunt even the most confident of parents. Once dialysis starts, the whole family bears the burden. Everything requires so much organization, even a simple holiday. The medical needs of the child are so all-consuming that often parents become full-time carers, so money can be really tight. There are around 13 units in the UK that care for children on dialysis or need transplantation so children may have to travel a very long way to be treated. All the units have a big team of professionals dedicated to giving holistic care to the child and family.
By far the best part of our job is when a child receives a kidney transplant, from a living or deceased donor. It is fantastic to see the difference in a child in the days following transplantation. They tend to recover from the operation very quickly, and feel so different. Their energy levels and appetite increase almost immediately. And suddenly they can eat chocolate!! I will never forget looking after a 5 year old who, just days after her transplant, was given a chocolate fountain. I walked into her room to find her bouncing round the bed (urinary catheter still in place!) and absolutely smothered in chocolate. Her smile said it all. Without transplantation there is little hope for children with kidney failure, and that is why I think transplantation is great.
