Used to… nowadays she cannot do that anymore. Lee-Anne has life-threatening kidney failure. In 2013 her left kidney had to be removed because of tumors. Her other kidney was monitored on a regular basis and until June 2019 she was under the impression that it was still functioning well.
Then one evening she had excruciating pain and was rushed to hospital where they discovered she had 14 gallstones. Further tests showed that her remaining kidney did not clean the bile out of her system, and that caused the stones. The doctors had to move fast to save her life. Lee-Anne’s gallbladder was removed, and she was placed on a very strict renal diet.
In an interview, Lee-Anne’s mother, Bettie Aspeling, said: “It was an extreme life change and it is still very hard for her to adapt physically and financially. She has lost 11kg since being diagnosed and she is now lacking in vital vitamins and minerals, but taking supplements is not an option.”
In February 2020 her kidney was tested again. It was more bad news. Her kidney’s functioning had dropped from 20% to 14%. They now suspect that this rapid descent is due to Nephrotic Syndrome. This syndrome can be caused by trauma to the kidney and her mother said Lee-Anne could have injured her kidney in a serious car accident in 2014 or when her back was broken by an abusive partner years ago. Unfortunately, the doctor cannot do a biopsy due to the kidney being too weak and he is not confident that the kidney will survive the invasion.
Lee-Anne has started with kidney workup tests with the Millpark kidney transplant department and have had numerous tests done already that are required for approval to be put on the list for a kidney transplant. However, this process is now on hold due to the national lockdown. Although Lee-Anne is employed, her medical aid does not cover all the expenses. She was let go from a previous company for “not reaching targets due to her health” and was unemployed during November, December and the first half of January. Fortunately, she found another sales position at a company in Alrode, but with the national lockdown, she is again taking a huge financial knock.
In the meantime, the medical bills keep coming in. She accumulated credit card debt of over R40 000 to pay the bills with more bills streaming in daily. If you, or your company, could help Lee-Anne with her medical and other expenses, the banking details are:
Bank name: Standard Bank
Branch name: THE GLEN
Branch code: 6005
Account holder: MRS LEE-ANNE LN COURVOISIER
Account number: 00 283 372 7
Account type: CURRENT
SWIFT code: SBZAZAJJ
Otherwise you can contact her at 0726156266 or email at leegroeni@gmail.com
