Help Diane Masterson to access treatment for kidney failure.
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Update 5 August 2024:
Sometimes you think that life is unbearably cruel, and then your sister dies so suddenly that you realise you didn't know the meaning of 'cruel'.
My need to access treatment for kidney failure just became so much more urgent.
More in this video just uploaded to X:
Forrest Gump said that : “…. life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”
We all have good days and bad days, but fundamentally hope that when the chips are down and our back is up against the wall that having been a contributing member of society that you will receive adequate support from those who can provide it. It is not a case of looking for a freebie, but basic humane support.
But sadly life is sometimes not fair and support is not provided, and you get bounced from one official agency to another who are tied up with officialdom, common sense does not prevail and no official seems to grab the issue and deal with it to the point that life changing support is provided.
I appreciate that government support agencies have multiple claims to their funds and time, but sometimes the red tape should be cut and support provided.
Diane has implored elected government leaders and Ministers to engage with her on this critical issue. This has been unsuccessful as they have not meaningfully engaged with her considering the urgent nature of her needs
Home dialysis saves the Irish State between €30,000 to €50,000 PER YEAR when compared to Hospital dialysis which costs the HSE approximately €100,000 per patient, per year.
Despite the potential savings involved no financial support has been forthcoming,
You might say that time will sort it out – but what if you do not have time?
10 years ago I was a member of a gym called Revolution Fitness and one of the members was Diane Masterson. I had not been in contact with her in 10 years. I came across her story recently, and I was blown away by what life had thrown at her and how she is managing somehow to hang in there as supports which one would thing should be provided are denied.
Diane Masterson is 37 years old and in End Stage Kidney Failure. One organ has failed completely and the other is only functioning at 10 per cent of capacity.
Without immediate treatment, she is likely to be dead within five years if her condition does not improve to facilitate her eligibility of a kidney transplant
With treatment she may live a few more years, and even still will be unlikely to see just after her 40th birthday. Her quality of life with hours of dialysis will not be great. And yet she is such a positive person.
She has been medically assessed and will not be a suitable candidate for a Kidney transplant at this time so all she can hope for is time and with that it is only a little time.
She needs urgently to immediately access critical dialysis as she will die without this urgent intervention. That is a sobering thought.
She is a patient of both St. James Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin. Her condition has become critical. The ONLY treatment option to prolong her life is to IMMEDIATELY commence Peritoneal Dialysis.
Peritoneal Dialysis is a gentle form of dialysis performed at home, by the patient themselves for 8 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Diane’s current living arrangements are not medically suitable to proceed with this treatment. In her medically impaired condition and in the middle of a housing crisis she is being forced to source a two bedroom/bathroom apartment close to the hospitals, her excellent GP, accessible services & amenities. Of course, she also needs to be reasonably near to her important support structure of her friends and the people who can help her. A two bed apartment is ONLY required due to her complex needs in relation to water quality, storage of dialysis equipment, space to perform dialysis & access to drainage to dispose of filtered fluids.
Peritoneal Dialysis is her ONLY treatment option, as she is deemed unsuitable for standard hospital based dialysis. For similar medical reasons, as mentioned above she is not well enough to be considered for a transplant at this time.
Unfortunately, the housing crisis means the only suitable apartment she has found, is available and been offered is an eye watering €2,670 per month. Dublin City Council have this evening 23 July 2024, officially refused to award her an exceptional payment of HAP so she can secure the tenancy, move in immediately, and commence her treatment and “have a chance” to live for a little longer at a quality of life, and perhaps a transplant in future.
If Diane cannot provide proof of affordability to the letting agent before COB on 24 July 2024 she will have no suitable living arrangement and will not be able to proceed with starting treatment commencing Thursday, 25 July 2024.
Naturally Diane would prefer to keep her situation private and not have to set up this Appeal but needs must.
Diane needs urgent assistance to build a financial fund to assist her to cover additional costs that now will occur with her home dialysis – this comprises additional rental expenses, increased electric bills and associated medical expenses which are not supported by the HSE.
Note:
Target fundraiser amount is based on assisting Diane for approximately 5 years.
Diane obviously clings to hope that she will live longer than this and common sense prevails amongst the powers that be.
Social Media: Please follow Diane on X at @dianejmasterson and share if you can. Her media interviews are linked below:
Recent Media Interviews:
Interview featured on RTE Drive Time 23 July 2024
Irish Times Interview 23 July 2024
https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2024/07/23/woman-in-late-stage-kidney-failure-makes-plea-for-suitable-accommodation-to-receive-dialysis-at-home/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=HP-SubDesc
Lunch Time Live Article Newstalk Interview Podcast 12 July 2024
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VbpS7YiBZh387sqRt29W7?si=hazdxBorQzS0ukIdSllgZA&nd=1&dlsi=18db8669301b4c6e
Funds received will be overseen by my professional accounting firm, Rory Williams Chartered Accountants. Rory can be contacted at [email redacted] . Any excess funds not used, if any, will be donated to the Irish Kidney Association.
Thank you so much for reading.
Lets help Diane Masterson “grab a chance at living”.
All support gratefully received.
Thank You
Organizer
Diane Masterson
Organizer