Working with my doctors to reduce risks around Antimicrobial Resistance
Living with kidney disease and learning about AMR
My name is Gavin Schranz and I am 27 years old from Malta. I was born with a congenital kidney condition, and hospitals have been part of my life since childhood. Kidney disease has shaped many decisions, but infections have shaped my understanding of health and risk. I learned about antimicrobial resistance through experience, not from a textbook.
As a teenager I had major surgery to protect what kidney function I had left. Recovery was slow. After that operation I started to notice a pattern. Infections came more often and sometimes the antibiotics did not work as expected. A course that had helped before would help less the next time. Hospital stays became longer. I began to understand that the problem was not only my kidneys, it was also the bacteria that were becoming harder to treat.
I started dialysis and built new routines around treatment, studies and family life. I learned small habits that made a big difference. I became strict with hand hygiene and line care. I learned to finish antibiotic courses exactly as prescribed. I started to ask questions like, “Is there a culture result?” or “Which antibiotics still work?” and “Do we know if this treatment is the narrowest one that can treat the infection?”. These were not arguments with clinicians; they were conversations that helped me understand my care and protect antibiotics for the next patient.
Learning to advocate for safe and careful antibiotic use
Over time I realised that good care is a partnership. When a clinician explains why we are waiting for a culture, why an antibiotic is being changed, or why we are stopping one due to side effects, it builds trust. As a patient I try to play my part. I bring accurate medication lists. I ask about symptoms early. I respect infection control rules even when they are inconvenient. That shared responsibility is not dramatic. It is simply how we keep care safe.
While living through this, I studied digital health and completed a Master’s degree. My research focused on public education about antimicrobial resistance. I believe that how we use antibiotics is a behaviour issue as much as a medical one. We already know how to reduce risk, for example to wash our hands properly and keep wounds clean or to get vaccinated, use antibiotics only when needed, and only the right ones at the right time. None of this is complicated, but it needs to be part of daily habits at home and in healthcare.
I try to share what I have learned with peers and family. Antibiotics do not treat colds. Finishing a course matters. Diagnostics guide treatment and help avoid guessing. These simple points are not small, but they are the quiet work that protects these medicines for the next person who needs them.
A setback and what it taught me
In 2024 I began preparing for a transplant pathway, with the removal of one kidney in early summer 2025. That hope was interrupted by a severe infection and life-threatening bleeding in late summer of 2025. I spent three weeks in hospital and needed transfusions. Kidney removal surgery had to be postponed. My remaining kidney had to be embolised to control the bleeding. That helped the bleeding risk, but it created a new concern. If that kidney becomes infected, there is no blood supply for antibiotics to reach it. The risk of sepsis is real, and the safest plan is to remove the embolised kidney. I am currently waiting to have that surgery in London. It is a reminder that infections can change plans quickly and that timing matters.
That experience sharpened my focus on prevention. I became even more careful with hygiene and with reporting early symptoms. I asked clearer questions in the clinic like, “What signs of infection should send me to hospital today?” or “When should I expect culture results?” and “Which steps can we take to avoid broad antibiotics when a targeted option will work?”.
I found that my medical teams welcome these questions. They show that I want to work with them to protect both my health and the usefulness of antibiotics.
Concern and hope
Antimicrobial resistance affects many people, not only those with long term illness. It affects a parent recovering from a routine operation, a child with a urinary tract infection, or someone with a wound that does not heal. When antibiotics fail, the effects are practical and personal. It can mean extra days away from work or study. It can mean families reorganising their lives. It can mean fewer treatment options on a drug chart.
My story does not have a perfect ending yet. There are good days and hard days. I still face the risk of infection and sepsis, especially until the embolised kidney is removed. I still need dialysis, and I still hope for a transplant in the future. What keeps me going is the belief that small actions add up. A nurse washing hands before touching a line. A doctor choosing a targeted antibiotic instead of a broad one. A patient finishing a course exactly as prescribed. A family member learning that antibiotics are not a quick fix for every illness.
I am concerned about what AMR could mean for people who will need surgery, chemotherapy or transplants. I am hopeful because I have seen how knowledge changes behaviour. When we understand the problem, we act differently. Antibiotics are precious. I have learned to respect them, not fear them. I want them to work for me tomorrow, and for the next person who needs them. That is why I will keep asking questions and sharing what I have learned. Concern and hope can live side by side. They guide me as I move forward, one stumbling block at a time
Gavin Schranz
Gavin is a renal patient. He is dedicated to addressing real-world health challenges through medical innovation and digital transformation. He completed an M.Sc. in Digital Health at the University of Malta, his thesis focused on developing an e-learning tool to combat Antimicrobial Resistance. As a WHO Youth4Health Network member, Gavin has also championed patient-centered healthcare innovation.
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