'There's no-one my age in the dialysis unit'
BBCA young woman living with kidney failure said it can be "lonely" being the only person her age on the dialysis unit.
Kenzi Quinn, from Roker, was diagnosed with a rare kidney condition when she was two and had had a normal life after getting a transplant from her father but, in 2023 the life-saving organ failed.
The 23-year-old has dialysis four days a week, lasting four to five hours each time.
She said having to go back "was like starting again, it was really hard as on the unit there's no-one my age - I've struggled a lot with my mental health".
Figures from Kidney Care UK suggest up to two in five adults aged over 75 live with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), but fewer than one in 50 are between the ages of 20 and 29.
At Sunderland Royal Hospital's renal unit Quinn is often the youngest person on the ward which she said was "a shock".
"I come into the unit and the other patients go 'here comes the bairn' because I am definitely the youngest," she said.
"The next person in age to me is someone in their late fourties.
"You can feel misunderstood sometimes being so young, as nobody around me is even close to my age so you can feel almost on your own."
Consultant nephrologist Dr Saeed Ahmed said younger patients on dialysis could feel "misrepresented, as usually patients are a lot older".
The average age of patients is 60 to 65 but there was a "significant minority" of young people also receiving treatment, he said.
Patients in the north-east of England have access to a range of support through the NHS Kidney Network, from peer-support groups to talking therapy and online tools.
"The good news is since I've started working there's been big steps forward in treatment and in Sunderland we are up to date with the best treatment and machines in the country," Ahmed said.
Quinn said returning to dialysis left her struggling with "anxiety and depression" but she was supported by her family.
"When I went through treatment before, I was very young so it all went on to my mam and dad," she said.
"This time it's me getting all the information which can be a lot to take in.
"My mam passed away just before my last kidney failed, so it's been very different, it felt like a lot was on me but my family are very understanding."
Quinn said it's "incredibly hard" to do things people her age would normally do, as often they do not understand what she is going through.
"The thing to do for people my age is to go out drinking - I do see my friends but I can't do any of that as I have to limit the amount of liquids I consume to a litre a day," she said.
"It's weird because people think problems with your kidneys are something that happens when you get older but I'm going through it."
Support is available to young people through the charity Kidney Care UK.
Quinn attends an annual gathering held by the charity where she spends time with people her age who are also having treatment.
"I've made friends for life," she said.
"I hope young people going through dialysis or treatment know they have a voice as it's hard but I'm getting there."
