Three times a week, Brenden makes his way to Redland Hospital's Kidney Dialysis Unit, where staff support him through the latest chapter of a journey marked by extraordinary resilience.
Dialysis is now a regular part of life for Brenden, but his path to the unit began with a devastating workplace accident, months of recovery and profound personal loss.
Alongside his treatment, Brenden has built strong relationships with the team in the Kidney Dialysis Unit. Graduate Registered Nurse Brooke Bruce began working in the unit in February and has cared for Brenden several times.
"You can establish relationships with patients and get to know them," she said. "Brenden is just one example, it's such a supportive team."
Brenden said those relationships made regular dialysis easier.
"The nurses are lovely. It's the people who make the experience better," he said.
On 20 February 2024, Brenden was driving a fully loaded 47-tonne work truck down Tambourine Mountain when it suffered a mechanical brake failure. Unable to stop, he crashed through a guardrail and into an embankment, crushing him from the waist down and leaving him with catastrophic injuries.
At Gold Coast University Hospital, he was placed in an induced coma for more than three weeks and underwent multiple surgeries. His right leg was amputated, and his left leg was also badly injured.
When he woke, Brenden not only had to learn to walk again, he also faced the premature birth and death of his son and another loss when his wife Marama's father passed away.
"I didn't give up when I was in a coma. My body kept fighting and wanted to still be here, so I'm going to keep fighting now," Brenden said.
As Brenden continued his recovery, he experienced kidney failure due to a suspected infection, which is what brought him to Redland Hospital's Kidney Dialysis Unit, where he now attends while hoping for a kidney transplant.
Brenden credits the Trauma Survivor Network and staff at Gold Coast University Hospital with helping him manage the difficult days.
"They taught me to take a moment, not a day," he said. "You have your 10 minutes or your hour. You scream, you cry and you work through it. Then you move on and go about your day.
"If I can get through a truck accident that should have killed me, I can get through this," he said.
Away from treatment, the 30-year-old enjoys time with Marama and his eight-year-old twin daughters, Aria and Mia. A devoted Ford fan, he also spends whatever time and energy he can muster in the garage working on his FG X Falcon G6E Turbo, one of the last Australian-made muscle cars.
His advice to others facing dialysis is simple.
"Keep a positive attitude where you can and don't hate the world for something you couldn't control. There are hard days, but you keep going."
You can support the Kidney Dialysis Unit at Redland Hospital to care for more patients like Brenden by making the Foundation your place to give here.
Story and image courtesy of Metro South Health communications team.
