MY MOM, MY SAVIOUR

Lizelle du Plessis was in stage four kidney failure when her mom gave her the greatest gift - a new chance at life

- CLYDE ADAMS-VISTER

LIFE hasn't been kind to her. She wasn't yet in her teens when she was diagnosed with diabetes, and had a leg and two big toes amputated after serious complications set in.

Then came the biggest blow - Lizelle du Plessis learnt she was in stage four kidney failure and needed a transplant.

But she didn't have to look far for the gift that's given her a new lease of life: her mom, Anne-Marie Smith donated a kidney to her daughter - and she'd do it all over again if she had to.

"It's the greatest honour of my life," the 61-year-old grandmother says.

And Lizelle (38) will forever be grateful to her mom. "It's like a miracle," she says.

YOU meets mom and daughter at a flat in Vredekloof in Cape Town's northern suburbs a few weeks after the transplant operation at Christiaan Barnard Hospital in the city, which took place in January.

The operation was such a success even their doctors have been blown away - Lizelle's kidney function has gone from a perilously low 15% to 98% and her surgeon is amazed, she says.

Lizelle is now focusing on getting her health back. She's still experiencing post-op pain but there's no sign of infection, indicating her body isn't rejecting the kidney.

She's no longer on medication to control her blood pressure thanks to her functioning kidney but has a new regimen of pills to swallow, including cholesterol and anti-rejection drugs.

"The anti-rejection meds cause nightmares and at times make me feel unlike myself," she says. "The drugs for nerve pain make me forget things - my family is used to it but it's annoying for me.