A MOTHER from The Bluff is appealing for assistance as her baby daughter, Savannah Lanesra Celliers, suffers from a rare kidney condition, challenging her tiny body with every passing day.

Also read: Help baby Ally fight rare genetics disorder

What should have been a carefree, joyful first year has instead become one filled with medical visits, strict treatment schedules and constant concern. Yet through it all, Savannah still brightens up each room with her smile.

The start of the journey

Not yet a year old, little Savannah has endured more than many adults face in a lifetime. For her mother, Charlene Celliers, their world changed just nine days after Savannah’s birth.

“At only nine days old, Savannah was diagnosed with a left Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney, which is a condition that occurs in babies where their kidneys do not fully develop in the womb and cysts begin to replace the normal kidney tissues. Savannah’s kidney is so damaged that it has zero ability to function, leaving her completely dependent on her right kidney just to survive. She now as a result has a hyper filtering right kidney with scarring, which means her right kidney is working overtime and the kidneys’ glomeruli filter blood at an abnormally high rate,” she said.

Savannah has to be given medication every six hours to keep her body in balance, daily folic acid and another tablet to slow the filtration process so her functioning kidney does not fail. Strict dietary restrictions have been in place for the family to protect the remaining kidney. Doctors have warned that Savannah’s damaged left kidney might need to be removed in the future if complications arise.

Although Savannah has a twin sibling, they are fraternal twins and therefore do not share the same genealogy.

Smiling Savannah

Despite all this, Savannah has refused to let her condition dim her light.

Celliers described her daughter as a smiley, laughing wild child.

“She is a baby with a fierce zest for life. She doesn’t let her sickness stop her at all. She crawls everywhere, eager to walk and absolutely lights up when she’s around animals,” said Celliers.

While the family remains positive and hopeful, there is the stark reality of Savannah’s rising medical costs.

Help raise funds

Celliers is doing all she can to keep her daughter healthy but urgently needs to raise R25 000 to cover Savannah’s ongoing medical aid, specialised medicines that are not covered, and essential covers linked to her treatment. Celliers said thankfully she has raised R13 000 so far, but the rest of it remains crucial.

If you are able to make a difference in Savannah’s journey you can donate into Celliers’ Capitec account, account number: 1482579047.

Alternatively, you can support Savannah’s ongoing Backabuddy campaign at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/kidney-strong

Celliers expressed immense gratitude to all who have reached out so far. “Every bit of help gives Savannah another chance to grow, to play and to keep being the joyful little soul she is,” she said.

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