My mother passed away in September 2005 and my father in November 2005 with my 15th birthday and my brother's 13th birthday falling slap-bang in the middle. Fortunately for my brother, he was able to stay with another family after the unfortunate losses suffered. I on the other hand did not deal with their loss in the most conducive manner and as a result of not processing my grief, my Lupus was triggered, in December 2007 I was placed on kidney dialysis and my life changed forever.
I am sure there must have been symptoms leading up to my December 2007 admission, however being a teen at the time, I most likely brushed them off and kept soldiering on until the damage was done.
I don't have recollection of all my symptoms however, I was told by the Nephrologist who was there back in 2007 that I was complaining of:
- Muscle and joint pain
- Rashes (butterfly)
- Fatigue
- High BP
I had to spend Christmas in the hospital and was discharged a few days later on my sisters birthday.
The following January was my final year of High School, however, instead of it being one of the best years of my life it was one of the worst. I had to constantly hide my haemodialysis catheter that was forever sticking from my neck with a thick scarf no matter how hot or humid it was in order to avoid all the uncomfortable questions and stares.
If that wasn't bad enough, I started having seizures and was put in ICU where I was in a coma for over 2 weeks. By the grace of God, I started to recover and even though I had to learn how to walk again due to the damage the TB meningitis had done to my brain, I recovered and was able to go back to my final year of High School the following year, becoming valedictorian in the process and receiving a certificate of valour.
It was during these uncomfortable years that I was finally able to deal with all the pain and baggage that I was carrying. Through thick and thin, my grandmother (who just turned 88 in September) was with me every step of the way.
The Lupus led to the doctors having to deny me the option transplantation even though I had willing family members who were going to donate their kidney for my benefit. In 2010, I was able to come off of the TB meningitis medication and in 2011 I was finally two years free of that dreaded Lupus disease that ferociously attacked me from the inside out.
After a few years of failed attempts at kidney transplantation, I finally got the procedure done on 10 February 2014 with my older sister Amanda graciously donating part of herself to me and giving me a new lease of life. I was able to go back to University in 2015 and got accepted into the Golden Key International Society on my first year back!
God has been so gracious towards me in keeping my Lupus in check and for that I am eternally grateful. In an effort to show our appreciation, my sister and I started the One K Foundation to raise awareness and support those suffering from kidney disease and Lupus anyway we can. If God can do it for me, He can definitely do it for you!
