Toreka-Kidney and Pancreas recipient
Toreka is a vibrant mother of one who also takes care of her disabled niece. She works hard, every day to provide a loving environment for these two children, all while managing her own life challenges.
At the age of 16 she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes after she had a bout of sickness she thought was the flu. This episode ended in a 3 day diabetic coma and thus started her on her journey toward transplantation. Shortly after her diagnosis, her mother passed away when she was just 17 years old. Needless to say, Toreka has not been without her share of trials and tribulations.
For years, Toreka was able to manage her diabetes with diet, however her late 20’s is when the real trouble started. As things progressed, she was forced to go on dialysis in her 30’s. She was one of the very small percentage of women who became
pregnant on Dialysis, which is virtually unheard of. Luckily, she had a very healthy and happy baby boy while she received treatment. Her doctor said that her son, Greyson was a miracle baby! The staff at the dialysis center started referring to him as “our baby” because she was receiving treatment five days a week.
She was placed on the transplant waiting list for a kidney and a pancreas, however she was worried about more than whether or not she would get the call. She was worried about whether or not the organs would take, how quickly she would recover and be able to take care of her family, and how the surgery would go if she did receive the call. She didn’t want to get her hopes up too high, in case there were complications or in case the call never came. Deep down, Toreka never truly thought a transplant would be possible.
She was called to Louisville 2 times for a potential match before receiving her transplant on her 3rd trip. She said she didn’t believe that it was actually going to happen until they took her back to surgery. They say “third time is a charm” and for Toreka, this could not be truer.
Today she is recovering nicely, and is able to spend time with her family without having to rush back and forth to dialysis 3 times a week. She is diabetes free and could not be more thankful that someone said “YES” to organ donation, and gave her a second chance at life.