Australia’s pace-bowling all-rounder, Cameron Green, has revealed insights into his health struggles, particularly with chronic kidney disease. As Pakistan gears up to tour Australia for a three-game test series starting from December 14, Green finds himself on the sidelines during the first test, with Mitchell Marsh taking the field. What unfolds behind the scenes, however, is a profound story of resilience and determination in the face of a challenging health condition.
The revelation about Green’s health traces back to a crucial moment in his mother Bee Tracey’s pregnancy. At 19 weeks, an ultrasound unveiled a potential challenge: Green’s kidneys wouldn’t grow normally due to a “thickening of the bladder.” This discovery cast a shadow of uncertainty, with the initial prognosis indicating life expectancy issues, raising concerns within the family.
Chronic kidney disease, as explained by Green himself, is a progressive condition affecting the kidney’s health function. In his case, the disease has reached stage two, placing him in a critical position where proactive measures are vital. Green sheds light on the severity of the stages, emphasizing that without proper care, regression is possible, and unfortunately, kidneys cannot recover once damaged.
Opening up about his condition, Green recounts instances where his kidney function directly impacted his performance on the field. A memorable moment in Cairns during an Australia versus New Zealand match saw him endure a long day of bowling and batting, followed by a cramping episode. It took time for Green to connect the dots and realize that his kidney function played a role in these challenges, despite meticulous self-care during the game.
Green’s journey goes beyond the cricket field, delving into the intricacies of managing chronic kidney disease in professional sports. Despite his initial struggles to understand the root cause of certain health issues, he emphasizes the importance of taking every possible measure to slow down the progression of the irreversible disease.
Cameron Discloses That He Is Suffering From An Irreversible Kidney Disease
Green’s father, Gary, told Channel 7: “At the time it was uncharted territory as such, the prognosis wasn’t great. There were life-expectancy issues that he might not expect to live past 12 years of age.”
Green said: “Chronic kidney disease is basically a progressive disease of your kidney’s health function. Unfortunately, mine doesn’t filter the blood as well as other kidneys. With chronic kidney disease there’s five stages, with stage one being the least severe, and stage five being transplant or dialysis. Fortunately, I’m stage two, but if you don’t look after them enough, it easily goes back down. Kidneys can’t get better. It’s irreversible. So any way you can find to slow the progression, you basically try and do.
There was definitely one time up in Cairns, playing Australia versus New Zealand, I think it was pretty well documented that I had a pretty long day of bowling and a pretty long bat as well, and then had a cramping episode.It took me a long time to realise that it was probably my kidney function that was affecting my cramping. I always thought I didn’t drink enough, didn’t eat enough, didn’t look after myself during the game as well as I could have, but I think over time I realised that I was doing absolutely everything right, but I was still cramping, unfortunately.”
