The Story of how a Christmas prayer came true

Dec 25, 2017 News

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By Sharmain Grainger

There is something about the Christmas holidays that somehow overwhelms people, regardless of their religious persuasion, with a certain amount of cheer. Perhaps this is linked to the sharing and togetherness that usually take centre stage at this time of year.
Decorations, gifts and certainly the aroma of beverages and foods, undoubtedly help to add meaning to the season.
But Christmas this year will be particularly meaningful to the Mingo household of 40 Charles Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. You see, this year the family will be celebrating more than just the birth of Jesus Christ – the reason for the season. The family will in fact be celebrating another year with one of its members – 17-year-old Tomal.
Last year this time, Tomal was literally clinging to life. He didn’t merely make a wish for a boyish gift, but rather, he said a desperate prayer for a new kidney in order to bring an end to constant dialysis needed to combat his end stage renal failure.
Tomal was battling the condition since the beginning of last year and it had advanced so considerably that by last year end he had even lost his right eye. This was due to a severe surge in his blood pressure which caused the blood vessels in his eye to rupture.
His anatomy was clearly poised for further deterioration and his life was literally hanging in the balance as he awaited a new kidney. He spent last Christmas as a patient in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] praying for a miracle.
Reflecting on how he spent Christmas Day of 2016, Tomal said, “it was a real fatiguing time for me…I was even feeling like I wanted to give up, but I believed that God was there for me,” he reminisced.
The eventual answer to Tomal’s prayer came in the form of the very woman who gave birth to him on November 19, 2000 – Shaundel Mingo. Although Shaundel was ready and willing to volunteer one of her kidneys to her son, it was only after thorough cross-matching tests, which had to be done overseas, that she was found to be a suitable donor.
But Shaundel was concerned about having to undergo a surgical procedure, alongside her son. She would have much rather be there to hold his hand and comfort him through the process. She was however driven by her determination to do whatever it took to ensure that her son’s life didn’t slip away too soon.

By February of this year, Tomal and his mother were prepped and ready for surgery at the GPHC. The procedure was successful, but Tomal wasn’t out of the woods yet.
You see, a few months after his surgery was completed and he was discharged, Tomal was right back in hospital battling for his life. This was owing to the fact that his body started to manifest symptoms consistent with the rejection of a surgically implanted organ. In fact, since his surgery earlier this year he was hospitalised on at least two occasions because of this daunting development.
Doses of antibiotics helped to stabilise his condition. He is also required to drink at least 10 tablets per day to help maintain a healthy condition. Eating healthy, too, is not an option for this still blossoming young man. For Tomal, this is a small price to pay to be alive with the ability to fulfil many of his hopes and aspirations.
Tomal’s condition has improved so much that he has been able to return to school at the Charlestown Secondary where he is preparing to write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations come next year. On completion of his secondary studies, Tomal hopes to delve into nursing studies before advancing to the medical field.
Because of what he experienced, Tomal has developed a desire to become a doctor, so that he too could be able to one day save others from life-threatening conditions similar to what he endured. But becoming a doctor for him will in fact be a two-prong achievement, since he believes he will be in a better position to help repay his mother for the noble deed of volunteering her kidney to save his life.
“I hope I would be able to make enough money one day, to buy a house for my mother and really take care of her,” said a grateful Tomal, as he glanced over at his teary-eyed mother.
“I feel great; strong and healthy again,” Tomal shared during an interview.
In fact he has been able to dabble, though cautiously, in his one of his favourite pastimes – football.
However, a few days before Christmas, Tomal was utilising his energy to help his mother with some house cleaning.
Despite feeling healthy and strong, Tomal confided that this does not mean that his prayerful ways have subsided. This is in light of the fact that he is still optimistic that his body does not reject the kidney his mother willingly gifted to him.
“I am hoping and praying that I won’t have to deal with any more [kidney] rejection issues that will cause me to be admitted back to hospital. Things are already going better for me, but my prayer is that it stays that way so I can spend many more Christmases at home,” said Tomal.
For now he takes solace in the fact that Christmas Day this year will find him at home instead of in hospital. He is happier still that he is able to spend the day with family, and possibly some close friends too, sharing with them a time of togetherness, and perhaps reflecting on the journey they all have endured over the past year.
In fact quite a few weeks before Christmas, Tomal had already planned on starting his Christmas Day in church with his mother to give thanks for all the many blessings he has received; especially for life.

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