Christmas came early for Michael and Malika

Dec 25, 2019 News

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By Sharmain Grainger

“‘Tis the season to be jolly” many people say of Christmas, but for those who have truly experienced the true meaning of Christmas, ‘tis the season to be especially thankful – thankful for another day, thankful for another year, thankful for life; in fact, thankful for just about every situation, even those that seemed bad, but then turned out to give true meaning to life.

While many may be indulging in foods and drinks and the other forms of merriment that indicate it is Christmas, there are those who are savouring every moment with gratitude. Among them are two 24-year-olds, Michael Totaram and Malika Dey, who are filled with life and aspirations for the future.
Christmas for them this year didn’t just start at dawn today. Interestingly, Christmas started in September for these young people, and they are hopeful that the celebration will continue for many more years.
But they weren’t always bursting at the seams with positivity, in fact prior to September they were barely hanging on to life. Their stories are similar but yet different, but what is certain, fate sometimes has a twisted way of bringing the right people together just in the nick of time, and indeed these two are especially grateful for that.
Plagued with renal failure, Michael from McDoom, Greater Georgetown, and Malika from Hadfield Street, Georgetown, were forced to start dialysis for their very survival. Their affliction came as a surprise to both their families. But it was just this illness that brought them together so that this Christmas they can have an appreciation of what it truly means to give without regret and love without restraint.
But to have an appreciation for how their lives became intertwined let’s take a trek down memory lane for a bit.
MALIKA’S STRUGGLES
She doesn’t remember exactly when she started feeling sick, but Malika had chalked it up to just a passing ailment. So for months she never sought medical attention, in hopes that it would dissipate on its own.
“To be honest I never thought that anything major was wrong with me…even though I was feeling really weak some days,” recalled the soft-spoken Malika.
It was her father, Mark Nelson, who eventually persuaded her to seek medical attention. Malika recounted “Daddy suggested that I go to the Palms, because they have a medical clinic there, but I didn’t really want to go”.
Her condition didn’t improve and before long she conceded that medical attention was necessary. The first indication that something was tragically wrong with Malika manifested when, “They checked my pressure and it was really, really high. They kept rechecking it but it wasn’t going down. They even give me a tablet to put under my tongue but that wasn’t helping.”
Malika was, moreover, referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] where she was supposed to do a barrage of tests to confirm what the doctor at the Palms had already suspected – renal failure.
“A lot of things were going through my mind when she fell very ill,” said Mr Nelson. “But it couldn’t be renal failure,” Malika’s father thought. After all no one in his family ever had such a condition. It really couldn’t be possible for the younger of his two daughters to be suffering from this debilitating condition. However, it soon became clear that there was no way to simply wish it away. Malika certainly was looking to pray it away – and earnestly she prayed.
But after all the relevant tests were done, renal failure was still the verdict and dialysis was recommended.
Malika clearly was not willing to embrace this. “I cried and cried, I was just thinking if I started dialysis my life would change and I never wanted to do it.” Since renal failure means that the kidneys cannot perform their functions to filter and purify the blood, dialysis is a treatment used to achieve this.
But Malika simply couldn’t imagine a life where she had to depend on dialysis. It was however clear that without dialysis her renal failure symptoms were increasing.
“My feet started swelling and I started getting really pale,” Malika recounted. The symptoms got even worse. I don’t remember it, but my family told me I had a seizure…I don’t know what happened, but they had to rush me to hospital and I had to start dialysis. I didn’t even know when I started dialysis, because I was unconscious, and so my family had to make the decision for me,” Malika shared.
Seven months into dialysis, she was gradually beginning to accept her fate. But dialysis didn’t have to be her last resort. At least this was the proposal Dr. Kishore Persaud presented to Malika. Dr. Persaud is the Kidney Transplant Surgeon at the GPHC. He made it clear that while dialysis can help a renal patient hang on to life for perhaps a few more years, kidney transplant is the gold standard for treating this disease.
“I wasn’t afraid of a transplant; I wanted to do it. I didn’t think of it as anything risky…I just prayed and had faith that God was keeping me alive for some reason,” Malika shared, as she recalled how her father was ready and willing to donate one of his kidneys to her.
Blood samples were taken from both Malika and her father to facilitate cross-matching tests which were done in the United States. The tests are required to determine the compatibility between the donor and the recipient.
But when the results of the tests returned, the spark of hope that was ignited in Malika’s heart started to fade. “The results showed that daddy couldn’t give me his kidney. I cried and cried, but I still had some hope…my family members, they gave me words of encouragement, and Dr. Persaud never gave up, so I couldn’t lose faith,” Malika shared.
MICHAEL’S DIAGNOSIS
As Malika settled into the path destined for her, Michael was just beginning to develop symptoms that would later turn out to be as a result of renal failure too.
“I had light headedness for quite a while; it started in 2018. I used to see my ankles swelling, I started getting a itching on my hands and I never used to get appetite,” Michael recounted.
Much like Malika, he didn’t think that his symptoms were any cause for alarm. He concluded, “I thought my feet were swelling because of the boots I was wearing and the inching I thought was a normal rash, and I thought I had no appetite because I had gas because I never used to eat regularly. I thought these things would go away eventually.”
But his symptoms got progressively worse. “Every time I tried to eat or drink sometime I would keep vomiting it out and the light-headedness and fever just keep coming on,” Michael recalled. Although his parents were always supportive, Michael always had a desire to eke out his own living. However, with the debilitating nature of his symptoms, he simply didn’t have the physical wherewithal to do so anymore.
After three days of intense ailment, a family friend decided to check Michael’s pressure. “When he checked my pressure he said that it was extremely high and that I needed to get admitted right away because it mean that something was very wrong,” Michael disclosed. He was soon after admitted at a private hospital where it was confirmed that he was suffering from renal failure and needed to start dialysis immediately. But being subjected to dialysis at least twice weekly at the private hospital came at no small cost. His family eventually moved him to another facility where the dialysis cost was a bit more affordable. “I wasn’t really taking a lot of stress over it because I realised if I did it could kill me faster…that’s not to say I wasn’t taking it on but my father and mother they were taking it on more,” Michael noted.
Moreover, Michael’s parents were relieved to learn that there was hope for a better life for him. They too were enlightened by Dr. Persaud of the possibility of a transplant once a suitable donor is found. “My mother was supposed to give her kidney to me …but at the last moment her pressure was high, too high to donate,” Michael recalled.
His fate much like Malika was left hanging in the balance. But the family was not yet ready to give up hope. They kept looking for someone who could be a potential donor.
HOPE FOR THE AILING
Just when it seemed like the options were dwindling 20-year-old Clayton Allen decided he would be willing to donate one of his kidneys to Michael. Clayton wasn’t just a random donor but rather was a good friend of Michael’s. Worried about Michael’s fate when he learnt about his condition, Clayton said that he didn’t hesitate to state his willingness to help, and with good reason too.
“I know about kidney failure because my mother’s friend he died from it and I actually wanted to donate my kidney to him but it was too late, he died the next morning. So when I heard about Michael and realised that they didn’t have a donor I said never again I will be too late to help,” Clayton shared.
The good news of Clayton’s willingness to donate his kidney was taken to Dr. Persaud who as it turned out hatched a plan that he hoped would not only save Michael’s life but Malika’s as well.
The plan Dr. Persaud embraced was that of paired exchange whereby the renal failure patients can switch their donors to increase the chance of compatibility. This was a tactical move since it was already ascertained that Malika and her father were incompatible. The next best thing was to determine if Malika’s father could donate to Michael and if Clayton could instead donate to Malika.
Fully endorsed and supported by the Ministry of Public Health the necessary samples were taken and sent abroad to be tested. It was a happy day for both Malika and Michael when the results came back indicating that the paired exchange approach would ensure that they both would be eligible for kidney transplants.
Two successful surgeries later, Malika and Michael are well on their way to a normal existence free of dialysis. “I am just happy to have my daughter back said,” said a grateful Mark Nelson. Post-surgery both Malika and Michael are convinced that they are the beneficiaries of some exceptional gifts which have allowed them to enjoy yet another Christmas Day with family members and close friends. “We have to take care of ourselves to really show our donors how much we appreciate what they did for us,” said Michael.
Though they are still healing, Malika and Michael are happy and especially grateful that they were given a new lease on life to celebrate yet another Christmas Day.

 

 

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