Australia all-rounder Cameron Green has revealed he was born with an irreversible chronic kidney disease, which at one stage put his life expectancy at 12 years. The all-rounder, who is a vital part of the Australia cricket team, said that the disease has no symptoms and is irreversible.
"My parents got told when I was born that I had chronic kidney disease, basically, there's no symptoms, it was just picked up through ultra sounds," Green told Channel 7. "Chronic kidney disease is basically a progressive disease of your kidney's health function.
Unfortunately, mine don't filter the blood as well as other kidneys." The 24-year-old revealed that his kidney function is currently at about 60 per cent, which is stage two, with stage five needing 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." The condition was detected when Green's mother Tarcy had her 19-week pregnancy scan.
"At the time it was unchartered 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," said Green's father, Gary.
The fast-bowling all-rounder, who has featured in 24 Tests, 23 ODIs and eight T20Is since making his Australia debut in 2020, said the disease also affects his cricketing career as he is more susceptible to cramps.
"I have got to keep my salt and my protein quite low, which isn't ideal as a cricketer but around games I can pick that protein intake back up because I spend so much of it out on the ground. "It's just about finding the best ways to look after me." He recalled an incident during an ODI against New Zealand in Cairns last year, where he started cramping due to the disease while batting.
"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," Green said. A shy person, Green said he had to eventually tell his teammates about the condition. "I have told a few guys in the cricket world. The coaching staff are all over it.
"I think all the guys in the Aussie cricket team, I've told. After a few cramping episodes, I probably had to come off and tell them that it's probably more than not being professional enough because I knew in the background I was eating and drinking as much as I could to give myself the best chance," Green said.
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