Having health complications does not deter Irene Yong from having an active lifestyle. Despite being in her 70s, she maintains her youth by getting involved in various activities and organising events.
Overcoming health hurdles to achieve happiness
Describing the moments after finishing a dialysis session, Irene Yong recalled how her doctor had described it to her as being similar to running a marathon.
After each session, patients would normally experience extreme fatigue, to the point of being unable to speak.
“And that is why I opted for the afternoon session so that I could rest once I get home in the evening. It would be even better if there was a session at night!” exclaimed Yong.
According to the National Kidney Foundation Malaysia, haemodialysis, or dialysis, is a filtration process that removes water and harmful wastes from the body.
During these sessions, blood is pumped through a plastic tubing via the vascular access to a filtering device known as a “dialyser”, also referred to as an “artificial kidney”.
Yong had been incorporating dialysis into her routine three times a week for 16 years, while maintaining an active lifestyle.
Always optimistic about her predicaments, she said it is important to trust doctors and listen to our bodies when it comes to our wellbeing.
As a dialysis patient, the 74-year-old revealed that she had to push through many boundaries. Among them is a restriction on food and drink intake.
“My doctor advised me not to eat peanuts, long beans, or anything naturally yellow, such as bananas. That is not to say I can’t eat them; I can, but only in moderation.”
According to her, her diet consists mainly of not overeating anything.
“Sure, I can eat peanuts, but not a handful or half a kilogramme. It’s fine if I eat a few pieces of peanuts, just enough to satisfy my cravings. Those who do not follow a strict diet, on the other hand, should also consume everything in moderation because eating too much of something can make us unwell.”
Learning about her predicaments
Before being diagnosed with kidney issues, Yong recalled being in her 40s and experiencing stomach pain that she was told was gastric.
“I was unaware of my kidneys at first. But I’ve always had pain and was prescribed gastric medication for it. After a few years, the painkillers no longer work. Instead, I was given injections. And that didn’t work either!”
On one particular day in 1993, Yong experienced severe pain despite having taken a painkiller injection earlier in the morning.
She said that she rushed to the hospital at 2pm that day after taking what was supposedly a strong medication to ease the pain.
“And by 4pm, the doctor was prepared to operate on me. When I regained consciousness after the operation, the doctor showed me my kidney and told me that if I hadn’t arrived sooner, my kidney would have burst.”
Yong was told that her body had been producing kidney stones, one of which was lodged in the kidney tube.
“And that kidney was swollen and covered in pus. If it had burst, there would have been pus everywhere and complications, which is why they were in a hurry to cut me open.”
The nephrologist also told Yong that her remaining kidney was likewise affected, but she could still live with only one kidney. So, she did for 17 years, taking great care of it.
The end of her kidneys
The good times, however, did not last long as Yong had to undergo her first dialysis session in 2007.
When asked how she felt about having to go through the tough times, she said she is the type of person who takes life as it comes.
“If something bad happens, just carry on. There’s no point in looking back. There will be many depressing moments in our lives. We just have to keep going or there will be no progress.”
Six months prior to her first dialysis session, she had an operation to install vascular access on her right arm. Since then, she had been undergoing dialysis for almost two decades.
“I would concentrate on myself on days when I had to go to dialysis. I’d wake up and get ready to go to the hospital. I’d take it slowly because I don’t want to rush as it will cause my blood pressure to rise. If it does, I wouldn’t be able to go through the dialysis process.”
When she wasn’t bound to a machine, Yong would hang out with her friends, either drinking tea, chit-chatting, or going on a joy ride in search of the most scrumptious cuisines.
Returning back
During her 16-year dialysis treatment, the grandmother of nine disclosed two occasions when she was on the verge of death.
Yong described the harrowing experiences that occurred in 2009 and this year’s May as being caused by access of water that had accumulated in her lungs.
She went on to describe these dreadful moments, saying she thought it was the end.
“I knew it was serious when my friends sent a priest to come see me. But I wouldn’t say I’ve seen angels, though I do recall feeling like I was somewhere else.
“I could hear voices but couldn’t wake up. I could hear people trying to wake me up, but I couldn’t. I was awakened by a sudden push from behind. I’m quite sure it wasn’t the nurse because I was lying in bed. It seemed as if I had emerged from somewhere,” she said.
When she regained her composure, she reflected about the days when she had wandered away for a brief moment.
“Despite the fact that I became very sick twice and thought I was going to die, I didn’t. I asked myself, ‘Why?’ It was because God told me I needed to return and do some more work. Every time he brings me back here, I know that my work isn’t done and that I need to think of something.”
A life devoted to the community
Yong’s biggest regret, despite falling back in after a fall out, was working too hard when she was younger.
Before having children, she worked in several private schools in the 1970s. She had spent the next decade juggling her family and her businesses.
She felt that by hustling through the bustle, she had ignored an important aspect of her life — her health. When she was in pain, she would simply use painkillers to get by.
“I don’t blame anyone. I just know I worked too hard. That’s all.”
Apart from her main job, Yong has been actively involved in social work as a volunteer since 1974.
Passionate about community work, she was a committee member for the Hun Nam Siang Tng charity body, a member of the Social Welfare Council, and a member of the Sarawak Association for the Welfare of Intellectually Disabled Children (PERKATA).
She is currently a member of the Majlis Wanita dan Keluarga Sarawak. She also founded and serves as an advisor for the Sarawak Gerontology and Geriatric Society (SGGS).
Yong, who is active in volunteerism and community work, believes there is a reason she is still here.
“I always say that there is a reason why God did not take us away, why we breathe the air, and why we take up space on Earth. Nothing is perfect in our world. If we expect too much perfection and anticipate everything to be perfect, we will be very disappointed. We must always prepare for the unpleasant; only then will we feel so much better.”
