A woman who has just 9% function in one of her kidneys due to a hereditary kidney disease wants to raise awareness on the incurable illness. Katie Banks, 47, from Swansea, has Polycystic Kidney Disease which causes clusters of cysts to develop in your kidneys.
The condition. affects over 70,000 adults and children in the UK. Due to it's hereditary nature, and knowing her mother had died from Polycystic Kidney Disease, Katie decided to get a test at 35 years old to see if she inherited it.
One of the main symptoms of the condition is stomach due to having enlarged kidneys, and often leads people to think that she is pregnant. “I am not pregnant, yet I exhaust myself explaining that again and again. ‘Is it a boy or a girl’, they ask, curious as to why my stomach is so large. Not wanting to hit them with terrible news, I often just go along with it and let them go on their way. It's supposed to be good news and something joyful. But in my case, I'm dying.” said Katie
