SINGAPORE — Fresh out of school and barely a year into working life, Ms Andrea Bender was diagnosed with a kidney disease which left her kidneys functioning at a borderline 15 per cent.

More than a decade on, after undergoing dialysis and an organ transplant at the age of 24, the 35-year-old Brazilian is one of around 1,500 volunteers at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) where she tries to give other kidney patients hope by sharing her story.

Before her mother donated a kidney to her, the former journalist underwent thrice-weekly dialysis sessions which left her exhausted and unable to hold down her job.

Of those dark days, she said: “It is very hard to find hope because it seems that your life is suspended. You cannot have a regular job, you feel very weak … It is easy to become depressed in this kind of situation.”

Having someone to talk to would have made a difference, Ms Bender felt. She said: “If you have someone to talk to and (tell them) it is hard but it is not so difficult, and you have solutions — do a transplant or even in dialysis, you have some options to make your life easier — it gives hope.”

So when Ms Bender found herself with some spare time after moving to Singapore from Bahia, Brazil, with her husband earlier this year, she decided to spend some time helping others with experience similar to hers.

Twice a month, she visits three patients during their treatment at the NKF dialysis centres at Serangoon and Bukit Merah.

While it was difficult to strike up conversations as a stranger with the patients — all in their 50s — in the beginning, her ability to relate to them as a kidney patient herself made a difference.

Besides volunteers, over 250 existing patients also provide support to fellow patients under the charity’s Patient Advocacy Programme which started in 2013.

One of them is retiree Kavien Teo, 57, who welcomes new patients to the NKF headquarters every Tuesday morning.

He makes small talk with them, offers them snacks and hot drinks, and takes their height and weight measurements.

Mr Teo was diagnosed with kidney failure six years ago, after seeing bubbles in his urine and experiencing breathlessness and fluid retention in his face and limbs.

But as he feared the inconvenience and cost of treatment, the former insurance manager shunned his doctor’s advice and refused dialysis.

It was not till he had to be hospitalised after a week of refusing dialysis and much convincing from his wife that he decided to accept treatment.

These days, he goes for dialysis thrice a week at Tampines and volunteers his time once a week.

Fellow advocate Peggy Wong had a similar experience. The 52-year-old retired reservations agent was in denial after being diagnosed during a routine health check-up five years ago.

It took a conversation with a fellow patient she met in hospital for her to come to terms with her condition and the need for treatment.

Today, Mr Teo and Mdm Wong share their own stories with new patients to assuage their concerns and help them to come to terms with the illness.

Mr Teo said: “I tell them you have to face reality and accept your placement at dialysis centres even if the locations are not ideal.”