I'm surviving, not living.. alone with my machine to stay alive

FOR almost 19 years, Sehnaz Hanslot has fought a battle many never will - a life tethered to a dialysis machine after both of her kidneys failed in 2007. She hasn't been on holiday for two decades and lives an isolated life trapped at home, strapped to a machine that keeps her alive but not living and mostly alone.

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"For me, a day on dialysis is what it feels like for most people waking up and working an eight-hour day. It's a full-time job," explains Sehnaz, 62, an artist, who endures five lengthy sessions of home dialysis a week. Each takes up to seven hours, causing her extreme cold, cramping, and overwhelming exhaustion.

"People think dialysis keeps you going, but it keeps you stuck. I'm surviving, not living," she says.

Despite being on the National Kidney Transplant Register for 18 years, a match is yet to be found due to the high levels of antibodies in her blood - the result of early blood transfusions.

While she was initially told these antibodies would disappear over time, they have remained - making a match rare. Today, however, thanks to advancements in transplant medicine, desensitisation treatments are now able to reduce harmful antibodies, and Sehnaz's transplant team has recommended finding a living donor.

Sehnaz was born in Zambia and was diagnosed with Fanconi syndrome as a child, a rare kidney disorder characterised by inadequate reabsorption of essential substances, such as amino acids. Treatment was unavailable at home so her parents sent her to Britain, aged 12, to live with an older sister already living in the UK so she could have treatment.