When 9-year-old Noah was hit by a car in his complex, his mom Samantha never dreamed the accident would be the event that would help them detect a rare disease, early!
South Africa (31 May 2023) – Samantha Goncalves received a massive shock in early April, while her son was playing with friends in their complex, he had been in an accident; hit by a car. He was rushed to the hospital and thankfully sustained no serious injuries. His scans did however reveal something nobody could have predicted, a rare disease.
Noah is 9 years old and a very healthy young man. Mom Samantha shared that both her boys are extremely resilient and very rarely fall ill. So finding out he has a rare disease has been the biggest shock.
“On the 4th of April 2023, my son Noah (age 9) was playing in our complex with a group of kids that also live in the complex, they were all on school holiday so they were keeping themselves busy, riding their bikes and skateboards in and around the designated area in our complex.
A car arriving home at lunchtime, unfortunately, did not see Noah sitting on a skateboard he was racing on with the other kids, and unfortunately, he drove over my son accidentally while I was at home working.”
“The impact of the car driving over him was isolated to Noah’s upper thighs, Pelvis and lower abdominal area, to my relief my son was walked to me after the car drove over him. I put him in my car and immediately and rushed him to the emergency rooms. He was immediately rushed into do a CAT scan to check for broken bones and internal bleeding. The nurse came back and told us no internal bleeding and no broken bones (I broke down in tears of relief), but they did find cysts on both his kidneys and would like to keep him overnight for observation.”
When Samantha arrived at the hospital the next morning, Noah’s paediatrician shared that his bloodwork was showing kidney strain that was over and above the car accident and cysts. They ran through Noah’s recent health history, which was just him being his usual healthy self. Samantha and Noah hadn’t noticed any renal issues. The paediatrician decided to keep Noah in the hospital for longer to understand what was happening.
The accident, while absolutely harrowing, was the reason the family were able to find out that Noah has rare polycystic kidney disease and it’s affecting both his kidneys. The diagnosis was confirmed after a 9-day stay at the hospital, consultation with three specialists and countless tests. Samantha and Noah’s dad were both tested too.
This early diagnosis could change everything! There are many processes about to begin to help Noah get the best care he needs however, Samantha’s medical aid won’t cover everything. To get ahead of bills that will start adding up, she started a crowdfund to help with the shortfall of Noah’s treatment. She has called it Noah’s Ark.
In the future, Noah will need to go on Dialysis as well as receive a kidney transplant. There is also a high chance that Noah will need a liver transplant in the future, but current tests are being done to rule that out.
“I am a single mom that does my best to raise 2 boys, and its a struggle every month already to get by with the day-to-day needs, not only do I have Noah to now worry about but another son entering high school wanting his hopes, dreams and support fulfilled by myself too.
My plea to all of you incredible human beings, is to help me ensure that my Noah gets the best care he deserves, he is a bright little boy with a bright future, Achieving top 3 academic marks in his grade since Grade 1. His love for swimming and cricket also sees him achieving awards for these annually too. It’s never easy asking for help, but I need to do this for Noah!
My son will change the world one day, please help me make sure he will be able to do so with any contribution you are able to spare to his very long journey ahead. Any and all donations will be so gratefully received and myself and my family will be eternally indebted to your kindness. Noah built his ark slowly in the bible to save the world, and that is why I am starting to build my Noah’s little ark to save him.
Please note amount we would like to raise is an estimate given to us and includes future dialysis and transplant.”
If you would like to support Noah’s upcoming medical expenses, you can donate here. If you are not able to donate financially, consider signing up to become an organ donor. You may not be helping Noah directly, but you will help someone like him someday. It also helps raise awareness for people who are waiting on the list.
The Organ Donation Foundation helps South Africans make their wishes known. You can find out how to sign up here.
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