It wasn’t until after Marissa Nahanee received a kidney from her mother Delhia five years ago that she finally started liking mushrooms.
Marissa couldn’t stand them prior to her life-saving transplant, but in the wake of it, found she couldn’t get enough of them, crediting her mother’s palate with her change of heart.
“I got a few traits and cravings from her,” says Marissa, 31, with a laugh.
The anecdote speaks to the close bond between mother and daughter, North Vancouver residents and members of the Squamish and Nisga’a Nations, and their story is one they’re committed to sharing in order to raise awareness of the realities of kidney disease and the importance of early detection, research and organ donation, particularly within First Nations communities.
Aboriginal peoples are three times as likely to seek treatment for kidney failure or end-stage renal disease than other Canadians, according to a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Aboriginal patients with end-stage renal disease are less likely to receive kidney transplantation (27 per cent versus 42 per cent); however, those who do get a new kidney have survival rates that are similar to those for others in Canada (84 per cent at five years), states the report, End-Stage Renal Disease among Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Treatment and Outcomes.
“It makes me sad to hear anybody that’s going through dialysis, anybody that has to go through that process, it’s very, very painful. Especially if they’re young, healthy, vital people, the only problem is the kidney. There’s an answer. They shouldn’t be suffering. There’s a lot of healthy people who don’t realize that they can change somebody’s life,” says Delhia, 55.
In the wake of their successful surgeries, both mother and daughter are in good health and leading active lives. “It’s been an amazing five years,” says Marissa.
Out of gratitude for the support they’ve received, the Nahanee women have partnered with the Kidney Foundation of Canada, B.C. and Yukon branch, to present an upcoming fund- and awareness-raising event this Saturday evening at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre.
The Inspiration of Hope Gala will feature a number of live performances by indigenous artists, including a fusion of traditional dances and live bands, First Nations-inspired cuisine catered by Denise Sparrow of Salishan Catering, and live and silent auctions.
Marissa’s health took a turn in 2008 when she began to experience abdominal pain, which her doctor eventually determined was due to her gallbladder and called for its removal. In April 2009, her kidneys declined undetected at 60 per cent. A few months later she contracted a rare autoimmune disorder, which led to rapid kidney failure. By June of that year her kidneys dropped to 30 percent.
It was a difficult period for her family. “It kept getting worse and worse. The worst thing is to watch your daughter disintegrate in front of you,” says Delhia.
Despite being prescribed medication and undergoing dialysis treatments, Marissa’s kidneys continued to decline and in March 2010, she experienced full kidney failure.
By Christmas, Delhia had had enough.
“It was one of the worst Christmases ever. I told (Marissa), you know what, Christmas is something special, we can’t walk away from this Christmas so negative and so hurt and so defeated. We have to make something really good out of this Christmas. I said, ‘For my Christmas present, what I want you to do is to sign the papers and go forward with the transplant,’” she says.
Despite Marissa’s initial trepidation, she eventually agreed and she and her mother had their respective surgeries in August 2011.
“This is something that is fixable. Young people shouldn’t be on dialysis machines. It’s not a life. Marissa was feeling better the day of the surgery. I took three months to recover, but she was back to her normal self within that evening. Her recovery was so quick. I’ve always been amazed and grateful for the miracle of modern science and modern medicine,” says Delhia.
Marissa has not taken her mother’s generosity lightly, and is loving her “second chance at life.” She’s currently pursuing a career as an artist, and is also a student in the Native Education College’s Pathways to Health Careers program.
“It was amazing and scary. It’s one thing having a gift of life from your mom and then having the gift of life twice,” she says.
“It gave me a whole new perspective on life. I’m able to have possibilities. … just basically a future. … Now I feel more doors are open and I’m more excited to wake up each and every day,” she adds.
Inspiration of Hope Gala, presented by the Nahanee family in partnership with the Kidney Foundation of Canada, B.C. and Yukon branch, Saturday, Sept. 24, 6 to 11 p.m., at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre in North Vancouver. Tickets, by donation, visit kidney.ca/inspirationofhope.
