Belgian golfer Nicolas Colsaerts shared important news on his state of health on Tuesday morning. The Schaerbeek native revealed to be suffering from an autoimmune disease. In a word like a cent, it is his own body which attacks its organs, in this case its kidneys.
The 8-Trophy Pro player posted a video of himself in a hospital bed telling what happened to him.
Water in the lungs and blood clots
The athlete explained that his illness was discovered by the doctors when he presented, basically, for swollen ankles. After a series of tests, it turned out that the cause was an autoimmune disease, membrane nephropathy.
The text
“Why am I here?
The last few weeks have been a trip that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I presented what I thought were swollen ankles to my doctor and was admitted to the hospital that day. They found fluid in one of my lungs, several blood clots in the lungs and yet they still haven’t been diagnosed. It was one of the scariest days of my life. I looked my wife in the eye and said I wasn’t ready to go.
After almost a week in the hospital looking for a diagnosis, we were told I had a rare kidney disease called membranous nephropathy. My body mainly attacks my kidneys and it causes severe protein leakage, among other things.
Fast forward a few weeks after studying the potential causes here I am with the first round of a Rituximab infusion. We have to hope that my body will respond to the treatment. We will not know for a few weeks, if not months, if it is effective.
I want to thank all of the doctors who have participated in my journey so far, especially those who are at Mediclinic Parkview and the city hospitals and doctors. And to my warrior of a woman Rachel who has been there to stand up and speak medically on my behalf every step of the way.”
