In a routine examination three years ago the Dunedin man recorded a couple of unusual numbers his doctor chose to further examine, and as a result Mr McCabe discovered he had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a disease which creates scar tissue on the kidneys.
"I didn’t have any pain, there was nothing to alert me to the fact that there was an issue apart from those numbers, which piqued the interest of my GP."
In the months after his diagnosis Mr McCabe’s doctor’s tried to manage the decline in his kidneys, which were functioning at 30% capacity.
However, a setback meant he got very sick two years ago while on a trip to Hamilton for the national brass band competition.
The decline was so severe it required self-confessed "needle-phobe" Mr McCabe to summon up his courage and begin dialysis.
"I have to physically stick some fairly gruesome needles in my arms myself, two for every session, so it’s really interesting what you can overcome when it becomes necessary for you to do so."
Mr McCabe goes through the haemodialysis process for six and a-half hours every second day, usually while asleep.
"I only visit the dialysis unit occasionally, if I have had a problem," he said.
"I am on the machine 22-24 hours a week, but doing it overnight means my days are freed up to just do life, just like any other individual.
"If I didn’t say I was doing dialysis, you probably wouldn’t notice."
Like most dialysis patients, Mr McCabe is waiting and hoping a kidney donor may emerge.
"The reality is that I can do most things that I want to do ... but I am tied to home more than I normally would be.
"I play for the St Kilda Brass Band, we have the national championships coming up in July, and I have already organised with the Canterbury DHB to be able to spend some time doing dialysis there for that.
"That’s the sort of organisation you need to do ahead of time."
