Today we feature our second organ recipient whose dream of becoming a mom came true! Suretha Campher, from Middelburg Mpumalanga, also celebrates her 34th birthday today!

1. Which organ/tissue did you receive, and in what year?
Kidney in 2011.

2. Was the journey of becoming a mother a difficult one?
Yes, very! We were told that I would never be able to carry my own baby because of complications caused by my transplant medication. But with the help an amazing nephrologist and gynaecologist, we changed my medication and was able to fall pregnant and carry him myself.

3. Was your medical team supportive of becoming a parent?
Not at first. The risk was extremely high for me and the baby; deformities, early birth, still birth, rupture of the placenta, deformation of the foetus and pre-eclampsia was part of the long list of possibilities that could occur during the pregnancy.

4. When was the baby born?
On the 27th of March 2020, on the first day of lockdown ???? He was born at 31 weeks and was in NICU for 6 weeks.

5. Has being a mom had an impact on your health?
Yes, a huge one! I have had the privilege to stop working and be a stay at home with him this year, and it has been amazing and challenging. Being a stay-at-home mom is flippen hard work! But also, having a transplant in itself can be challenging sometimes, and now having someone that depends on you, no matter your mood, side effects of medication or how tired you are, is truly a different ball game! But I would choose the same path over and over again. ????

6. What advice would you give other transplant patients who would like to become mothers?
To be a hundred and ten percent sure that you are healthy enough and have the right support system!! It is tough! As a transplant patient, you must take of yourself 24 hours of the day, now there is a tiny human that needs those hours, and believe me, they need all of them! You need a supportive, hands-on husband that can do a feed or a bath while you just take your meds or you blood pressure, or just gulp down the 4 glasses of water you should’ve had five hours ago. Also important is to talk to someone who has been through the same situation. At times you will need to vent or ask advice. And if you are blessed enough to become a mother, enjoy it with all your heart! Never miss a moment!