Clarendon mom launches cake sale to pay for emergency surgery to remove kidney stones

She has been trying to rid her body of what doctors have diagnosed to be staghorn kidney stones which have metastasized to such an extent that more than 60% of the organ is infected.

Her situation is test of faith, mental fortitude and physical grit, while coping with the challenges of  raising her daughter, now five years old, retaining her job at Payless in May Pen among a myriad of personal battles that confront her almost on a daily basis.

The Longville Park resident was down for elective surgery in 2019 but the coronavirus pandemic pushed her date all the way back to 2024. Her condition has worsened since with painkillers proving useless sometimes, she tells Old Harbour News. Doctors at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) have advised her to get the surgery done privately, but finding the two million dollars needed is proving to be very difficult.

The burden of amassing the funds has been made lighter recently though, with financial conglomerate Sagicor deciding to cover 75% of the cost. That’s a massive gap being plugged there, however, Peart is still struggling to find the additional half-a-million dollars which forced her to reschedule her original surgery date from May 24 to June 9. Still time is very much not in her favour with only a couple of weeks to go to raise the “$570,000” required for her to go under the knife. Until that time comes, Johnson has decided on doing a cake sale in order to raise enough money to cover the procedure and recovery process.

“It’s been really hard. I’m in pain most of the time and if I’m at work I have to take my time. If I bend too much or if I stand too much I’ll be in pain. If I’m taking transportation I have to set a certain way. If I’m standing my feet would be swollen and sometimes I can’t move,” the 27-year-old lamented during an interview with Old Harbour News.

Sometimes she has difficulty sleeping due to pain in her lower back and abdomen, forcing her to “overdose a little”. “So instead of taking two tablets I take three tablets just to ease the pain,” she explained.

With regards to the cake sale 70 persons have already committed to support her fundraising venture, she disclosed even though it’s unlikely she will raised enough funds in time.

In addition to having severe back pain, kidney stones causes blood in the urine, a regular experience for Peart who has dropped 12 pounds in weight since her diagnosis.

Surgery is the only option now for her, she said, having tried other conventional and unconventional methods before.

“They are too big to pass out now, so the surgery is a must,” she said.

“It’s a lot because it covers my right kidney entirely and the left kidney has some on it, so it’s not so bad on the left side.”

Peart’s mother Dawn Peters has been tower of strength for her, but the menial work the 50-year-old mom-of-six performs as a field worker at the Bodles Research Centre earns her a small salary that barely enables her take care of herself and her nine-year-old son.

Peart is also concern about her situation post-surgery, saying: “After the surgery I’m still going to need cash because I have rent to pay, my daughter still have to go to school, bills have to pay…”

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to assist Shanice Peart call 876 321 9802 or 876 210 7833.