A Fragile Life: The Epic of a Multiple Kidney Transplant Recipient - Living with Dialysis, Multiple Transplantation, and the Challenges of Long-term Chronic Kidney Disease

A Fragile Life: The Epic of a Multiple Kidney Transplant Recipient is an in-depth effort to understand living with a chronic illness (specifically kidney disease) as perceived by a woman who is a wife and a mother, covering the years from 1982 to 2005, and her efforts to address challenges associated with this illness. Christine has weathered multiple losses over a 23-year period due to kidney failure; physical and psychological health, control, independence, self esteem, finances, and employment. These losses, along with efforts to maintain a lifelong learning approach, are addressed in this book throughout the six themes that emerged, respectfully entitled; (1) Emotional Consequences, (2) Effects on the Family, (3) Financial Burden, (4) Social Withdrawal, (5) Physical Effects, and (6) Lifelong Learning Challenges. For those associated with dialysis and transplantation, with its ugly side effects, this book points out the effort to appreciate a healthy moment, the courage to better understand disappointment, and the challenge to work towards daily normalcy. Ultimately, to become an active member of such a select transplant society, one must nearly die to gain membership.