Pretoria girl (11) living with rejected liver two years on

A Moot family is “drowning financially” after their 11-year-old daughter’s body rejected a liver she received during a transplant two years ago, they say, Rekord Moot reports.

She has been in and out of hospital with different illnesses since then, as she now needs another liver transplant.

Nialize Pienaar, a Grade-5 learner at Laerskool Pierneef, was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis back in April 2016.

Later that year Nialize underwent a liver transplant, but her body rejected it soon after.

Her mother, Susan told the media this week that it has been an ongoing struggle since.

“Luckily the school helps where they can and she has not missed out on any work.”

Susan said doctors were waiting for the cells in her blood to stabilise before considering another liver transplant.

She said Nialize also had to follow a special diet to keep her weight at an acceptable level.

“Everything has just been drowning us financially,” she said.

“We need funds now more than ever.”

A Backabuddy fundraising page had been opened in an attempt to help raise funds.

“The medical aid does not cover all of her medical expenses, which places a heavy burden on the family,” she said.

She said Nialize needs to do a monthly medical check-up and blood tests, sometimes every two weeks.

“This will be a lifelong routine without the possibility of another transplant in future,” she said.

A target of R100 000 had been set on the fundraising page; however, at the time of going to print, only R5 138 had been raised.

“We need all the help we can get,” Susan said.

The media once reported that Nialize was taken to hospital in 2016 after her mother realised that there was something wrong with her.

Nialize started getting a “yellowish glow”.

“We could not figure out exactly what was wrong with Nialize. She was first diagnosed with normal hepatitis,” Susan previously said.

Nialize was then referred to the Donald Gordon Medical Center in Johannesburg where she underwent a biopsy.

“It was then that we found out that she actually had autoimmune hepatitis.”

Susan explained that her daughter’s liver had already been rejected by her body since she was born.

Meanwhile, Susan said Nialize was doing well health-wise.

“The doctors are generally satisfied with her health and she is still healthy,” she said.

“Now we hope that her cells will stabilise while we wait for the liver transplant.”

Nialize lives with her family in Villieria