Andries makes dreams come true

It was a successful day, not soon forgotten. Andries fulfilled a second dream on April 8 here in eMalahleni together with his three Reach for a Dream angels.

Amahle was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome.
Like any other 11-year-old, Amahle has dreams. Her dream was to be a princess for a day, celebrate her 11th birthday party with her younger sister and two of her best friends at her favourite restaurant. She wanted to eat cake and indulge in all her gifts.

The party started when she blew out her 11 candles on her big birthday cake and made her wish, ‘to have a laptop’.
Then face painting followed and the party was in full swing, games were played and she opened all her gifts.

Her presents ranged from clothes, some of her personal favourites, Barbie goods, the Baby Born doll, and then she received an iPad. The moment was priceless.

Andries would like to thank his dream makers that made this such an unforgettable experience.
Nephrotic Syndrome carries a set of signs or symptoms that may point to kidney problems. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs found in the lower back, each about the size of a fist. They clean the blood by filtering out excess water and salt and waste products from food.

Healthy kidneys keep protein in the blood, which helps the blood soak up water from tissues. But kidneys with damaged filters may leak protein into the urine. As a result, not enough protein is left in the blood to soak up the water. The water then moves from the blood into body tissues and causes swelling. Both children and adults can have nephrotic syndrome.

The causes of and treatments for nephrotic syndrome in children are sometimes different from the causes and treatments in adults. Childhood nephrotic syndrome can occur at any age but is most common between the ages of one-and-a-half and five years. It seems to affect boys more often than girls.

For more information on Reach for a Dream click here or contact 012 368 1542.