The parents of a 15-year-old girl in desperate need of a kidney transplant are appealing for help to transform her life.
Emilka Styczynska, who lives in Hitchin and attends The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School in Stevenage, suffered from a rare autoimmune disease in 2020, which has caused irreparable damage to her kidneys.
She now needs a kidney transplant, and her parents, Marta and Przemek, are appealing for a donor, so Emilka has the chance to live a full life.
Emilka, who loves football and is a fan of classic cars, is passionate about army cadets and dreams of becoming a combat medical technician.
Since her kidneys began failing, "Emilka has spent most of her nights plugged into her home dialysis machine and has missed out on both school and leisure time due to hospital admissions," Marta and Przemek explained in a heartfelt letter.
"Emilka knows both her kidneys will never recover. She needs a kidney transplant. This is the most successful treatment for kidney failure."
Her parents explained that while donated kidneys often come from people who have died, "kidneys from living donors offer the best chance of success".
They said: "Regrettably, no family members can donate for Emilka– due to incompatibility or simply being unsuitable after undertaking living kidney donor extensive tests. This is heartbreaking for us as a family.
"If Emilka could have a kidney transplant, her life would be transformed. She would be able to live life to the full with a successful transplant.
"Living donors are considered carefully and are investigated thoroughly to ensure they are well enough to live their lives safely with one kidney."
They continued: "Our beautiful daughter is kind, generous and considerate - always putting everyone else before herself.
"Through this deeply painful time, Emilka has faced these challenges with strength, positivity and courage. We are so proud of her. She is simply inspirational."
To find out more about becoming a living donor, visit organdonation.nhs.uk/become-a-living-donor.
If you feel you are able to consider becoming a living donor for Emilka, you can email Anita Copley - a clinical nurse specialist in living donation at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust - at anita.copley@gstt.nhs.uk.
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