My name is Francis Joseph Loddo. I am a dialysis patient from Gibraltar. I was born on February 1973, the son of a carpenter and a house wife. I had a very nice life as a kid in the old streets of Gibraltar. My father was a carpenter working for the Gibraltar government, going to houses and fixing doors, windows and shutters.

When I was thirteen years of age, disaster struck in the family, my father suffered a Diabetic Episode and had to be taken to hospital and during the night, he suffered a massive heart attack and died.

My mother and i were devastated, but we managed to move on and continue with life.

I was a normal young man, with no apparent health problems until i reached the age of 19.

One morning, i woke up with breathing problems, swollen ankles and feeling very tired, my mother was very worried and we went to the local health centre, where i was diagnosed with renal problems and send to the Hospital for investigation.

In the hospital accident and emergency department, i was diagnosed with end stage renal failure and i was transferred to a specialist ward in a Spanish Hospital across the border as i was critically ill, and i had to be placed in dialysis. I needed a kidney machine to stay alive.

My mother was in complete horror and shock. This was the beginning to a hard and difficult life as a young man of 19 who had to undergo haemodialysis in order to stay alive.

(This was one of the conversations between Dr. Maui and Mr. Francis Joseph in Skype)