My name is Corina, I am 38 years old and I am battling end stage kidney failure. I was diagnosed four years ago in April 2012. The cause for my illness is unknown as I am not diabetic, not an alcoholic and don't have any other known related diseases. In the first 6 months, I was extremely ill and could not function at all. My days and nights were a blur. After 6 months, my doctor decided that I needed to be put on a special dialysis machine called HDF. In other first world countries, this machine is the norm. But in Malaysia, it is the exception. Because of the efficiency of this machine, I started becoming stronger and finally was able to have some semblance of a somewhat normal life. When previously my days were lived out in a zombie-like state, I was now able to walk around, go out for a meal and even sit up and watch TV. I then resumed working as much as I could, although difficult, I was determined to forge on. I could not go back on the normal machine because my blood pressure kept dropping and I would feel faint, dizzy and unable to follow through with the four hours dialysis. So although HDF was costly, it was and is my lifeline and the reason I am still alive.

My days now consists of trying to keep food down, eating only selected easily digestible food, battling nausea, indigestion, headaches, motion sickness, knee pain, body aches, just to name a few of the daily symptoms I get from this illness. Good days are few and far in between and if I get one good day a week, that is a good week for me. The rest of the time, I am unwell. All through this period, I have not been able to work consistently and most recently when I became even more ill, have not been able to work at all.

I will require dialysis my whole life until I get a transplant (if I get one) and will be on costly medication until then. The dialysis that I am on cannot be done in other types of regular centres or medical facilities. It can only be done in selected hospitals that actually have the HDF machine. The treatment for HDF is double the cost of regular dialysis. This does not include all the costly medication that goes along with the treatment that is specific to my condition and how my body is responding. I am on medication like Mircera, One Alpha, Renvela, Venofer just to name a few. I need funds to continue the HDF dialysis that I am on, coupled with the very costly medication specific to my needs/condition.

I would like to humbly ask that if you are in any capacity to help me, I would be so grateful for any contribution big or small. Please know that your assistance is going to a genuine cause and one which I battle with every day of my life.

Below is a breakdown of what it costs for me to keep living:

Dialysis 3 times a week: US$785 (after SOCSO - Malaysian Social Security - subsidy)

Medicines