Single mom urgently needs kidney donor

MPUMALANGA. – Elaine van Staden (37) is a single mother of two beautiful daughters. Apart from being a type 1 diabetic, she has faced a lot of sadness in her life.

Elaine urgently needs a living kidney donor who can donate a kidney to her so that she can continue to take care of her children. Here she tells her story to FiND iT.

The grief of losing a child

“I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2003. My oldest daughter was born in 2010 after much treatment to get pregnant.

“In 2015 we were blessed with an unexpected miracle – I was pregnant again, with a boy. He was unfortunately born at 26 weeks. He unfortunately contracted a virus in the hospital in Pretoria’s neonatal intensive care unit and died of the virus at only 21 days old.”

A miracle through mourning

“Miraculously, I became pregnant again during this mourning period, but the shock was too great on my body and I was out of the 29-week pregnancy for 13 weeks in hospital and seven weeks in ICU due to persistent kidney failure. They wanted me to have a Caesarean section at 23 weeks because they thought I was not going to make it. My daughter was then born at 29 weeks.”

Things got too much

“Everything got too much and my husband and I got divorced. I am now raising both my daughters alone.”

Urgently needs a kidney

Elaine’s kidney function is currently at 12% and due to the diabetes, it is deteriorating very fast. She urgently needs a living donor who can donate a kidney for her.

She has been on the donor list for three years to receive a kidney.

If Elaine receives a donor in time, the transplant will take place at Life Jakaranda Hospital in Pretoria.

Anyone who would be interested in helping can receive further information upon inquiry.

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