In a heartfelt revelation during a recent episode of the WithChude podcast, Nollywood actress Ufuoma McDermott shared the challenges of living with stage four kidney disease. The 43-year-old star, who has been fighting this debilitating illness for over a decade, candidly discussed her journey and the toll it has taken on her life.
Initially diagnosed with stage three kidney disease, Ufuoma admitted that her condition deteriorated to stage four due to her struggle to follow medical advice. “Last year was a very trying time in my life where I thought I was going to die,” she reflected, emphasizing how her determination to keep working had pushed her body to its limits. “I had pushed my body, and it was borderline stage four,” she explained.
The actress revealed that her health had become so precarious that she found herself negotiating with her doctor about the balance between work and rest. “I said, ‘What if I go home? If I sleep today, before I leave tomorrow…’ But my doctor insisted, ‘Ufuoma, I need you to sleep now. I need your blood pressure to drop.’”
Ufuoma also opened up about the emotional weight of her health struggles, noting that her children motivate her to stay strong. “My weight, people do not understand when I say I cannot afford to put on weight; I do not want to die,” she said, highlighting the urgency of her situation.
This revelation is especially poignant as Ufuoma previously lost her brother to kidney failure in 2017.
