At just 17 years old, Jeffreys Bay Comprehensive High School learner, Shanté Bruintjies, received the devastating news that both kidneys were functioning at a total of 15 percent. She was diagnosed with kidney failure, and placed on dialysis.
Less than six months after this diagnosis, her father, Lindsey Booysen, was discovered to be a “perfect match” and in March this year the two underwent successful kidney transplant surgery.
Lindsey said in September last year his daughter fell ill, and after visiting a local doctor was rushed to Humansdorp Hospital for testing, then transferred to Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha where they were informed that Shanté’s kidneys were only functioning at 15 percent and she had kidney failure.
“Shanté was required to stay in the hospital for three months, where she had to undergo dialysis treatment with a dialysis line inserted into her neck,” said Lindsey.
He said before she could leave the hospital, the dialysis line was removed from her neck and placed into her stomach.
Lindsey said she was then instructed on how to perform dialysis at home, and once the hospital was confident she was able to do it by herself they sent her home, on Christmas Day.
Since she has never been sick before, and has never stayed overnight in a hospital, Shanté, who dreams of becoming a teacher, said she battled to sleep while at the hospital, and felt scared at first.
Despite the grim diagnosis, she said she refused to give up.
She said that at first it took some time to get used to undergoing dialysis, and she was shocked to see such a large pipe going through her neck.
As a resilient and tenacious person, once she was given the go-ahead to leave the hospital, Shanté was determined to master performing dialysis by herself every four hours.
When the new school year began in January this year, she was given a private room to continue with dialysis at school each morning, at 10:00.
“It was difficult at first to manage dialysis on my own after leaving the hospital, but I was determined to master it so that I could return to school,” said Shanté.
Since she had kidney failure, Lindsey said his daughter was a candidate for a kidney transplant, but before placing her on a donor list the hospital wanted to investigate possible kidney transplant donors within Shanté’s family.
With her mother, Shahida, on chronic medication for high blood pressure, she was not considered a candidate for a kidney transplant.
In good health, Lindsey had to undergo an array of health tests to determine his compatibility.
To their surprise he was found to be a “perfect match”, and in March this year they were given only a few days to pack their bags and make their way to Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town where the kidney transplant took place.
“I was so happy that I was a kidney transplant match for my daughter. When I received confirmation, I did not hesitate to say yes, and even told the medical staff that they could take a part of my heart as well because I love my daughter so much,” said Lindsey jokingly.
He said the surgery was a great success with Shanté recovering much faster than her father.
They were both discharged from the hospital two weeks later.
Lindsey said that after they returned home to Jeffreys Bay they both had check-ups a week later at Livingstone Hospital, while Shanté continued with weekly evaluations for three months after surgery.
Shahida said throughout the entire experience they received great support from the school principal, Nomxolisi Makayi, her teachers, Sharifa Louw, and Rushida Golding, and all her classmates.
“We are very grateful for the support we received from the school who continued to assist us, to ensure that Shanté was up to date with her schoolwork, and for the support we received from her classmates who treated her like she was their sister,” said Shahida.
In addition, she said that they received a lot of support from the staff at Livingstone Hospital, with Sister Lucille Claassen making sure that they were well informed and assisted every step of the way.
Shahida said they were also grateful for the assistance they received from family and friends, with everyone being willing to assist in various ways, including financially where needed.
Furthermore, she said they were thankful to the Reach for a Dream Foundation for the gifts they surprised Shanté with, which included a laptop, a laptop bag, a phone, headsets, and flight tickets from Cape Town to Gqeberha after the surgery.
Shahida said she was proud of her daughter, as she continued to do well in school and was able to pass Grade 11 despite missing out on almost three months of in-person education in 2023.
This year she continued to attend school from January to March until her surgery, then returned in May ready for her mid-year examinations.
Shanté said she has been doing well since the surgery and adjusted to her new diet, as well as drinking a handful of medication every 12 hours.
She said that after the transplant surgery, while referring to her new kidney, her doctors told her to give her “new baby” a name, take good care of it, and celebrate its first birthday.
Shanté said she named her new kidney “Shaneer” while her father named his remaining kidney “Laneer”.
“After being away from each other for a long period, when my father and I meet, we rub our bellies together so that the two kidneys can greet each other,” she said, giggling.
