Critical Stanger mom urgently needs donations for dialysis

A Stanger mother is fighting for her life and relying solely on donations from the community after being told she was going into complete renal failure earlier this month.

Single mother of two, Vanessa Reddy (35), had her life turn upside down in the blink of an eye after being diagnosed with 5th stage renal failure on August 1.

Reddy visited her local GP after battling with swollen feet, and was referred to Stanger Hospital for blood tests.

After being told she was going into renal failure and would need peritoneal dialysis, Reddy visited a renal specialist who confirmed that her condition was now critical.

She is now deteriorating at a rapid rate and is in need of three dialysis sessions a week.

Before her dialysis can begin, Reddy needs to first undergo surgery to insert a catheter, but due to a 12-month waiting period on her medical aid, the surgery, which costs about R20 000, will have to be paid for upfront.

Luckily the Islamic Medical Association as well as Ahmed Al-Kadi Hospital have come on board and Reddy is scheduled to undergo surgery at St Augustine’s Hospital on Tuesday, free of charge.

But going forward she will have to undergo dialysis at a private facility using her own funds, as the waiting list of patients needing to be referred from Stanger Hospital to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital for dialysis is over 400.

Each session of dialysis is approximately R900, and with three sessions needed a week, she is in dire need of financial assistance.

Community rallies 

Reddy’s sister, Jenny Singh, said she has been overwhelmed by the support from members of the community in such a short space of time after creating a Facebook support page to share her sister’s story.

“After posting about Vanessa’s condition online yesterday, we have already received such a massive response from those willing to help in any way possible,” said Singh.

“Yesterday at this time we had almost no hope, but today has been the start of a new beginning.”

This is however not the first time the family has been through such an ordeal, as their father passed away only six years ago after being on dialysis for a number of years.

“When we received the news about Vanessa, we were shocked because unlike my father’s case, we were already at the final stages.

“That is why we are so overwhelmed and grateful for all the support and we remain positive.”

If you would like to donate towards Reddy’s dialysis, contact Jenny Singh on 073 962 0021 or Preedha Pillay on 071 948 2878 or funds can be directly transferred to:

Account Name: V.Harrysingh

Account Number: 10093617001

Branch Code: 051001

Bank: Standard Bank

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