Summary
- Kidney transplant transforms Becky's life and future goals.
- North Queensland service offers transplants closer to home.
- Becky aims to educate others on kidney health prevention.
A Weipa woman who received a kidney transplant earlier this year feels like she has been given a second chance at life and wants to use it to help others.
Becky Nai received the life-saving operation through the North Queensland Kidney Transplant Service at Townsville in February three years after commencing dialysis and being placed on the transplant list.
She wanted to share her story as part of Donate Life Week which runs 26 July to 2 August.
The 40-year-old, who is originally from Masig (Yorke) Island in the Torres Strait, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 18.
She had been working as a teacher aide while studying teaching when she had to become a carer to both her unwell parents, then found out in her early 30s her kidney was failing.
The diagnosis was devastating for her family, including her four older brothers, one who even considered becoming her donor.
“I hadn’t been managing my diabetes properly because I was looking after mum and dad,” she said.
“I was on dialysis for three years. The hospital staff talked to me about a transplant at the beginning and I was a bit sceptical, but they said: “think about the outcome”. They said it could take five years before I could get a transplant, but I got it in three years.
“The day I found out came with mixed emotions. I was screaming and crying, and I remember the moment getting on the plane and going down to Townsville it really hit me.”
The NQ Kidney Transplant service is a collaboration between the Townsville, Cairns, and Torres and Cape hospital and health services, designed to ensure residents can receive specialist transplant care closer to home.
Previously, Torres and Cape patients were required to travel to Brisbane – often for extended periods – placing significant strain on families, cultural obligations, and community connections.
In addition, Torres and Cape HHS launched its own dedicated transplant support service last year, supported by a consultant nephrologist and two kidney transplant nurses based on Thursday Island and Cooktown.
This team provides pre- and post-surgery care, ensuring continuity, local support, and improved long-term outcomes for patients returning home after transplant surgery.
Ms Nai said having these services closer to home had helped make her decision to go on the list.
“I was happy because Brisbane is a bit too far away from home. Townsville is a bit closer, and I have a lot of family there, so everyone came to see me when I was in hospital,’’ she said.
Due to patient confidentiality, transplant recipients do not find out any details about the donor. “It feels like it must have been a younger person because I feel energetic,” Ms Nai said.
“I’m so thankful for whoever it was for this. If it wasn’t for that person, I would still be sitting on a dialysis machine.
“I feel like a little kid having to learn a few things again. It’s like my life is starting again. “You’re able to do things you couldn’t do anymore. Now I can go back to work too.”
With all she has learnt on her own health journey, Ms Nai said it has made her now consider a change and she has applied to become an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker with the Torres and Cape HHS.
“Taking my experience and seeing what is going on in my community I want to go back and help educate people,” she said.
“I would like to help prevent young people from ending up on dialysis like I did.”
Torres and Cape HHS Executive Director of Medical Services Dr Marlow Coates said the North Queensland Kidney Transplant Service had already supported six patients from across the Torres Strait, Cape York and Northern Peninsula Area to receive kidney transplants since launching in July last year.
Since 2018 a total of 29 patients had received a kidney transplant and ongoing post-transplant care provided with Torres and Cape HHS.
“We know there is unfortunately a high burden of kidney disease in our region so this service, alongside our multi-disciplinary primary care teams, are vital in proactively identifying, educating and supporting patients who are at higher risk,” Dr Coates said.
“It is fantastic our patients can receive these services closer to home, and it is cases like Becky’s which highlight the benefits.
“The Torres and Cape HHS is committed to building services focused on both clinical and cultural safety to ensure these patients receive the best care possible.