Sydney, Dec 14
Australia allrounder Cameron Green has revealed he was born with chronic kidney disease and at one stage had a life expectancy of just 12 but has been able to manage the issues throughout his professional cricketing career.
Green, 24, was left out of Australia’s XI for the opening Test of the summer against Pakistan in Perth with Mitchell Marsh usurping him as the incumbent allrounder in the side during the Ashes series in England earlier this year. But Green, who is by nature a very shy and reserved person, revealed to Channel 7 that he has been dealing with the disease for his entire life, having hardly made it known to even team-mates or friends. “My parents got told when I was born that I had chronic kidney disease,” Green told Channel 7.
“Basically, there’s no symptoms, it was just picked up through ultrasounds.
“Chronic kidney disease is basically a progressive disease of your kidney’s health function. Unfortunately, mine doesn’t filter the blood as well as other kidneys. They’re at about 60% at the moment which is stage two.
“I consider myself very lucky that I’m not as affected physically by chronic kidney disease as other people who are affected by the same thing.
“With chronic kidney disease there’s five stages, with stage one being the least severe, and stage five being transplant or dialysis. Fortunately, I’m stage two, but if you don’t look after them enough, it goes back down.
“Kidneys can’t get better. It’s irreversible. So anything you can do to slow the progression, you basically try and do.”
Green’s disease was picked up when his mother Bee Tracey had her 19-week pregnancy scan. His father Gary, who has been hugely influential on Green’s cricket career, said there were initial fears he may not live past the age of 12.
“At the time it was unchartered territory as such, the prognosis wasn’t great,” Gary Green said. “There were life expectancy issues that he might not expect to live past twelve years of age.”
Green said he has managed the issue reasonably well throughout his career to date and has only had one concerning episode while playing for Australia in an ODI against New Zealand in Cairns last year.
He made 89 not out in a successful run chase after bowling five overs and fielding the full 50 but experienced severe cramping while he batted.
“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,” Green said. “It took me a long time to realise that it was probably my kidney function that was affecting my cramping.
“I always thought I didn’t drink enough, didn’t eat enough, didn’t look after myself during the game as well as I could have, but I think over time I realised that I was doing absolutely everything right, but I was still cramping, unfortunately.”
Green said it took him awhile to reveal it to his team-mates, who had wondered about his capacity to handle the all-round workload.
“I have told a few guys in the cricket world. The coaching staff are all over it,” Green said. “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.”
