By Abigail Grit Bodo :
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| Eddie Oppong, kidney warrior |
Ghanaian-American Creative Director and Multidimensional Creator, Eddie Oppong in 2023 launched a Capsule Collection to push for more public education and awareness of kidney disease, a condition he has been battling since birth.
Eddie was diagnosed with Congenital Kidney Disease at an early age of 3 months, a rare condition a child is born with that affects the form and function of the kidneys.
In an exclusive interview with Abigail Bodo, Eddie recounted his life path of becoming a “Kidney Warrior”
“I was born with one Kidney, usually you are born with two healthy kidneys but unfortunately in my case, the one kidney I was born with came with issues. It was determined early that this would essentially become a problem over time” he narrated.
At the age 8, his kidney began to fail and was instantly placed on the Kidney transplant list to await a life-changing organ.
According to Eddie, it was the most devastating thing to endure as a child, experiencing the effects of an organ failing.
On November 18th, 1999, at the age of 9 years old, Eddie received his first Kidney transplant at Children’s Memorial in Chicago, IL USA.
“Words literally can’t express what that moment meant to me, as a child, as a survivor, as Theresa’s Son. Thankfully that transplanted Kidney lasted me 13 years” he said.
But at 22, the transplanted kidney started to fail. During this period, he has been on on dialysis for a decade awaiting second Kidney transplant.
Eddie expressed gratitude to his mother, Miss Theresa who has been his major backbone.
“How I overcome this battle and journey is to simply say, my mother. I give all acknowledgement and praise to her, for being the warrior she is and instilling that in me. Teaching me how to navigate through life not allowing my diagnosis to hinder the dreams in my mind” he added.
Eddie Oppong also added that his family and friends have been his biggest support team who play various roles in making sure that he is on his feet.
“I can wholeheartedly say my close circle has continuously taken me out of moments of depression and sadness. My amazing therapist Julie, family, and friends. That’s how I’m getting through the tough days”.
He also called for more intensive education to encourage people so that fear does not prevent them from donating to save the life of someone close to them.
“It is very unfortunate that due to lack of knowledge, fear, and misinformation, many people are hesitant to try to become donors to those close to them” He stated.
Eddie has close to a decade of experience as a Creative Director and has designed independently about 8 sneaker projects.
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| Eddie Oppong showing wounds from injections |
He is a gifted storyteller which he channels through his Capsule Collection designs.
He encouraged those in similar health conditions to continue fighting a good fight because “we are warriors in battle, all experiencing some type of battle”.
Eddie is presently on dialysis treatment and awaiting his second Kidney Transplant.
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