The Voice (Francistown)
Nomsa Ndlovu
5 February 2008
Francistown — Precious life is fast ebbing away from a Sekgoma Memorial Primary School teacher, who was late last year diagnosed with chronic renal failure.
Maun teacher, Kealotswe Kenalemang 36, from Sepopa village in the Okavango district, is battling for his life on an ambulatory peritoneal dialysis after Nyangabgwe hospital doctors discovered that both his kidneys are permanently damaged.
If donor help does not come his way, the dwindling teacher will soon be another death statistic. Even though his clock is ticking away, Kenalemang says that hope keeps him going on each day. He believes God has a reason as to why he is still hanging on. That same hope, he says, makes him believe that the compassionate Botswana nation will never let him go but will take heed of his plea and help.
"I urgently need approximately P450 000 to cover the expense of both kidney transplants and buying the replacement parts from a donor bank", he said. If funds can be sourced his destination of hope will either be South Africa or Pakistan.
According to a letter dated 23 November 2007, written by Nyangabgwe Hospital Medical practitioner, Dr A. Lawrence, the catheter that dialyses Kenalemang's renal system "is temporary management of the situation and can not last for ever. Eventually the patient will need a kidney transplant"
The document continues to read that the Botswana government does not have at present provision for operations. Each patient has to raise his/her own funds to pay. It also appeals for monetary donations of any amount from anyone, either individuals or organisations.
Kealotswe's desperate cry for help has reached the Masisi Organ Foundation founded by kidney recipient MP for Francistown West, Tshelang Masisi in 2006.
Kenalemang was thrown into this life of illness and uncertainty last June when persistent attacks of high blood pressure landed him in and out of government and private hospitals.
His feet were swollen, he was always tired and his vision was blurring, making him see objects in yellow colours. The disease has affected his vision. Disappointingly, doctors who attended to him failed to diagnosis the chameleon coloured, stealth creeper; rather they gave a stabilising prescription, which proved to be resistant to the condition.
As hope does not disappoint, in October last year, doctors at Maun's Delta Medical Centre referred him to a Doctor Mompati in Francistown.
"On the day that I arrived at Mompati's medical centre, tests were urgently carried out. Dr Mompati discovered the cause, transported me to Nyangabgwe hospital without delivering the sad news. He just gave me an accident and emergency document upon which when doctors looked I was admitted. That is where I learnt that I was dying and there was no permanent help at hand except temporary assistance through a catheter. An operation was done and both my kidneys were found to have shrunk and were malfunctioning. Cleaning them was no option", he said.
Although The Voice caught up with Kealotswe at his work place, Sekgoma Memorial School teacher's quarters, his mother, Kenalemang Moipodi Ketso says that her son has not stood in front of a class since June last year. Ketso has been nursing her son since then.
"His health is fast deteriorating by the day and we are here because that's the nearest place to medical help if his condition takes a turn for the worst," she said.
But what bothers the widowed mother most is that she is unable to raise the needed funds for his son's transplant. Had it been before the discovery of the foot and mouth disease in the Ngamiland district, she would have sacrificed all her cattle for her son's health.
"I know that the cattle sale wouldn't have covered the whole amount, but at least I would have had something at hand that people can add on to. I am unemployed and my son, second born in a family of eleven, was the sole provider following the death of his father," she lamented.
Next week Monday, Kenalemang will be expected to report for duty, but with his mound of swollen feet and feeble status, the question is, will he be able to stand before a class and teach.
Ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: A dialysis machine removes waste substances from the blood of people with damaged kidneys; this one is attached to the thin layer covering the abdomen and allows mobility in the patient.
Catheter: A thin tube that is put into the body in order to remove liquid such as urine.
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