Born and bred in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur Kuay Theng Theng hailed from a poor family with both her parents being patients with end stage kidney failure and currently dialysing in another private charitable centre in the area.
 
Like other children of poverty stricken kidney disease families, she was forced to drop out of school at the young age of 15 when in Form 3 and went to work as a lowly paid worker at a snooker centre in Ayer Panas, Setapak.

With her parents being afflicted with diabetes and hypertension before being stricken by kidney disease she too began to follow the pattern of getting headaches at the age of 25 and was diagnosed for hypertension with medication prescribed.

In the absence of aspiration and inspiration, she soon plunged into marriage at the age of 27 in 2011 to an odd job painter. Soon she was impregnated and in follow-up pregnancy check-ups was found to be having diabetes. Following the regular medical examination at her seventh month of pregnancy her kidneys were found to be suffering from chronic kidney disease. She was advised to abort the foetus but she refused.

After the delivery of her son by caesarean when she was 28 years old, she was advised by doctors to take care to control the progress of the kidney disease through regular check-ups, medication and a change in lifestyle. However, after about 2 years when her kidney functions began to deteriorate further she was referred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Finally, the hospital confirmed that her struggle to preserve her kidney function was over. Her kidneys had reached stage 5 of total kidney failure and she had to be placed on haemodialysis.

However, the hospital could only provide dialysis to her for only a few months and her family was urged to find a permanent centre where she could have her treatment. Since her family was struggling financially, the welfare department of Hospital Kuala Lumpur secured a place for her to dialyse at Pusat Dialisis NKF – Nanyang Setapak where she commenced her treatment in August 2015. She is lucky to have a good and loving mother-in-law who not only takes care of her and sends her back and forth for her dialysis by motorcycle but also takes care of her son.
 
For being able to dialyse in Pusat Dialisis NKF – Nanyang Setapak she said, “Words of sincere thanks cannot outweigh the depth of gratitude I have for the Foundation since fate will be the ultimate decider of my being”.

Since she is only 32 years of age, she has been informed by the hospital authorities that the best option for her kidney disease is a kidney transplant. Her husband had tried donating his kidney which was found to be not suitable. In the meantime, she has been registered to be a recipient for a donor kidney but great uncertainty hangs as to whether she will eventually receive one since chances of being a recipient are few and far in between.

Rather than agonise about the affliction, she takes life with the passing of each day, helping her mother-in-law with the household chores and looking after her son when she is not too exhausted.

Please support our campaign by donating through SimplyGiving. Your donation, no matter how big or small, will help Theng Theng to cover the cost of dialysis treatments and other medical costs.