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Kidney complication keeps girl off school
Ezaru is still bed-ridden after she was diagnosed with kidney complications. She is out of school having only managed to study for four days. photo by Clement Aluma
Maureen Ezaru, a 14-year-old student of Ediofe Girl’s Secondary School in Arua is supposed to be in school for first term studies. She had reported for S1 and stayed in school for only four days. She then developed stomach aches, swellings and would take long time to pass urine. She also had general body pain. What she did not know was that she was developing kidney complications. Ezaru then sought advice from school authorities who granted her permission to seek medical attention. The parents then took her to Memorial Clinic in town where a test was done.
Ezaru was advised to see an urologist though indication was that both kidneys were relatively poor, but normal in size, especially on the right side. Then she was referred to Mulago where kidney complications were detected. Ezaru who wanted her future to be bright, is now bed-ridden with the sickness. Her mother, Ms Jane Driwaru, a resident of Andifeku village in Vurra Sub-county says she discovered her daughter’s sickness at the beginning of the year when she woke up one morning with her whole body swollen.
“When I saw her face swollen very early in the morning, I asked her what the problem was but she told me she was not feeling any pain. But the next day her situation worsened,” she said. Medical forms from Mulago indicate that she was diagnosed with bilateral pyelonephritis. The pyelonephritis in its chronic form is a very dangerous disease. The kidney may become a bag of pus due to infection with pyogenic bacteria.
The kidneys play a critical role in keeping the body healthy by cleaning and processing the blood. Working together, the two million nephrons filter and process three to four litres of blood approximately every five minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ezaru needs about Shs8m for the treatment.
Her mother is a house wife while her father, Mr Romano Acidri is an office messenger at Uganda Christian university Arua campus.
Though doctors at Mulago hospital continue to review her condition every month, the continuous movement between Arua and Kampala is making the already strained financial position of the family worse. “The continuous stomach pain and headaches do not allow her to have enough rest and that is why she always looks exhausted. It has become difficult to move from here to Mulago because
of financial difficulties,” Driwaru says.
How to help
You can contact the mother, Jane Driwaru on 0773996288. You can also deposit money on account number 2020050425, account name: Romano Acidri (father).Bank Name: Centenary, Branch: Arua.
