- Nigerian actress Ufoma McDermott has disclosed her battle with kidney disease, a condition resulting from years of unknowingly using painkillers.
- Nollywood actress shares her 12-year experience with kidney disease and urges others to prioritize their health in an emotional interview with Chude Jideownwo.
- The actress emphasizes the importance of health, citing her brother’s late diagnosis and subsequent complications, and her own 12-year medication regimen.
Nigerian actress Ufoma McDermott has candidly shared her struggle with kidney disease, which has resulted from years of unintentional painkiller misuse.
In a heartfelt discussion with media figure Chude Jideownwo, the Nollywood star recounted her journey with kidney disease over the past 12 years and emphasized the importance of health awareness among others.
She said to Chude, “I really wish everyone would understand how important health is. My brother was diagnosed late on stage four and he had to go straight into dialysis and had complications. I was diagnosed a lot earlier so I’ve lived on medication for almost 12 years now.”
Reflecting on the repercussions of substance abuse within her family, the actress noted that her late brother was diagnosed with kidney disease at a critical stage and encountered serious issues during his dialysis treatment.
She elaborated, “When my brother passed away I ran to my cardiologist. I was scared and my parents were scared, is this genetic? We had to trace the kidney disease and we learned it was from drug abuse.”
“I’d always grown up with migraines, headaches and eyeaches, and I never wore my glasses because they made me look like a geek. I wouldn’t wear them and then I’d take painkillers for my migraine. I never took ordinary painkillers, I took strong painkillers because I wanted the pain to go away. At a point, I had painkillers in my wallet and I could give people,” she added.
McDermott ultimately discovered that her condition was not hereditary but rather a consequence of prolonged painkiller use.
“The doctor told me I was exposed to certain behaviours and my brother was exposed to the same thing, doesn’t mean it’s genetics. I didn’t know I was abusing drugs and I was first I was diagnosed with high blood pressure was at 26, and I didn’t even know what that was.”
