Help Lebo stay alive!

Hi,

My name is Paska Kinuthia and i'm fundraising for my friend Lebogang Brenda Motsumi (Lebo). I met Lebo in 2013 in South Africa and her story is one of resilience, strength and sheer bravery in the face of adversity. Lebo is living with HIV and has worked tirelessly to empower the younger generation with life-saving sexual and reproductive health information. She has made it her life's purpose to advocate for young people living with HIV in South Africa and beyond.

Unfortunately for Lebo, she was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis kidney disease in 2018 which then progressed to kidney failure in 2020. She had an operation to remove her gall bladder but went into a coma after the operation because her kidneys were not responding. She had to begin dialysis while in a coma. Her kidney function has slowly been deteriorating and is presently at 3%. She has to undergo dialysis twice a week to keep her alive as she waits to find a donor for a transplant. Because of her medical condition, Lebo kept falling sick and was eventually laid off from a job she desperately needed, as her employer could not sustain her absence at work. Nonetheless, Lebo has managed to keep up with the medical bills thanks to a great support system of friends.

Lebo's medical cover, which covers dialysis, will come into effect in July, providing some much-needed relief. Until then, however, Lebo still needs to pay for dialysis, and she is seeking the help of a wider circle of friends and well-wishers to bridge this gap. There are also a lot of additional costs that still require to be met, such as her trips to and from the hospital. She also needs to find a new job to enable her to put food on the table and provide a home for her and her daughter, a beautiful and strong 12-year-old who is taking all this in stride. This little girl unfortunately, lost her father to an accident in 2016 so Lebo is her only surviving parent. Lebo admits that her daughter is the biggest reason she fights to stay alive every day. She also hopes to win this fight so she can continue to be the voice of thousands of young people living with HIV in South Africa.

Lebo has been involved in many initiatives and engagements, and her story continues to inspire young people in South Africa and other countries. In South Africa, her story has been featured on various multimedia platforms, including SABC, Soweto TV, ENCA, Al Jazeera, Radio 2000, Cliff Central, Touch HD Radio Station, Real Magazine, Drum Magazine, Move Magazine and The Daily Sun Newspaper among others.

Lebo has also been featured as a speaker at various events, including at the United Nations HQ, African Union Commission, Bishop Desmond Tutu Foundation, and the International AIDS Conference. Additionally, Lebo has spoken in over 50 schools in Gauteng Province, South Africa. One of these engagements involved facilitating a dialogue between young people and Hon. Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's President. She truly has been a force to reckon with and is a voice for many young people living with HIV in South Africa.

The journey ahead is long and arduous, but Lebo is a fighter. As you may know, HIV opens the door to many opportunistic infections, and Lebo has fought and won many of these battles. In fact, her past battles inspired her to author a book titled "I'm Still Here: From My DeathBed to the World." She has also fought and continues to win against her bipolar disorder. Any help given will go a long way to help Lebo stay alive for her daughter, her family, her friends and most of all, give her the opportunity to continue being a positive change agent for those living with and affected by HIV and multiple chronic illnesses.