Living with tubes

Belinda has renal failure, one of her kidneys does not work and it has been challenging to get a donor. She struggles with constant pains in her body and is in and out of hospital very frequently. In my conversations with her I learnt she has a dialysis done every 3 days. Dialysis is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. Dialysis basically keeps her alive. The process of dialysis involves the use of tubes being inserted into her body. This is a long process which involves diverting blood into an external machine, where it's filtered before being returned to the body. The use of tubes and liquid solutions have become a mainstay in her life, they keep her alive. We collaborated to create some portraiture that explores living with the process of dialysis, how it can take over your life and it’s physical and mental toll. The images will be used as part of campaign to raise awareness about renal failure and it’s challenges to those suffer from it.