Kidney patient needs life-saving surgery

Taylor Douglas, 24, is running a race against time to secure funding for a kidney transplant as she battles end-stage renal failure.

"My kidney function is now at three per cent. I need the transplant because it will extend my lifetime," she said, referring to the five years doctors gave her to life. The St Andrew High School for Girls alumna was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, in 2021, after experiencing severe pain all over her body, along with chronic migraines.

"Doctors couldn't tell me what was wrong and I went to my gynaecologist telling him I was in pain. I could manage it before but it [became] unbearable, and he said 'let's do an ultrasound'. The results showed that kidney had a lot of damage, like years worth of damage," Douglas recalled. A subsequent biopsy revealed that she was suffering from the genetic disease, which causes renal failure. This revelation brought aspect of her past into sharper focus; it turns out that Douglas' father, Christopher, had the same disease. A part of Douglas' childhood was spent in the hospital, when she accompanied her father to renal clinics, where he received treatment.

"I remember sitting out of [prep] school for a couple of years because my father had to do surgery in New York, so I had to be homeschooled to save money for it. I do remember the many times going to dialysis with him. I remember the tubes, I remember the needles," she said. Despite this, her own diagnosis still came as a shock.

"We didn't know it (his ailment) was genetic," she said. "All I knew is that my father was in and out of the hospital because his kidneys weren't working properly." It came as no surprise then, that following news of her diagnosis, the St Andrew resident hesitated to share the details with her father. But he has been a source of positivity throughout her ordeal.

"He always says keep pushing. Whenever I'm down, he always says 'You won't be down for long, just keeping going'," said Douglas. In addition to being devastated by the news of her ill health, Douglas was further disappointed as she was still pursuing a bachelor's degree at The University of West Indies (UWI), Mona.

"I didn't want anything in my way because I just wanted to finish UWI, but I knew I wouldn't be able to finish. I was in my final year and I got sick and started missing deadlines," Douglas told THE STAR.

In August 2022, she started dialysis but Douglas indicated to the news team that the results are not favourable. It is for that reason that her clinician has recommended she seek alternative treatment in New York. Douglas requires US$250,000 (approximately J$38.75 million) to undergo a kidney transplant.

Despite her illness, Douglas completed her degree in psychology with a minor in criminology and management studies and is hoping to walk the stage in November at graduation.

Persons willing to donate to Taylor Douglas' treatment may visit her campaign at https://gofund.me/1cadbe2e