Young woman diagnosed with lupus seeking kidney donor

Christal Ramsaywack, 24, who was diagnosed with lupus in 2016, is now seeking a kidney donor.

During an interview with the News Room, Christal said she experienced an intense fever on May 15, 2025, but given her symptoms, she didn’t panic. However she visited the Woodlands Hospital where she underwent several tests and after a second visit to the hospital, she was told the situation was worse than she anticipated.

“The doctor assumed it would be dengue fever because I didn’t have any indications of a flare, however that [test] was negative. He gave me medication for the fever and that helped.

“When I went home that same night, I started developing trouble breathing so I went back… when the doctor sounded my lungs, he said there’s fluid in it,” Christal said.

She underwent an X-ray and was told she needed to be admitted but she sought a referral to the Georgetown Public Hospital where additional tests were done.

“They said the lungs had fluid in it due to my kidney failing,” she said.

This is referred to as Lupus nephritis, it occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the kidneys, causing inflammation and damage.

Christal’s doctors have her on dialysis, a costly treatment for individuals with kidney failure or severe kidney disease. It is free of cost at the Georgetown Public Hospital but this would mean, Christal has to be an inpatient. She was discharged from the hospital on June 15 but her doctors are determining whether to proceed with a surgery while waiting for the donor. The young woman said doctors recommended a kidney transplant as her best course of action.

As such, she is seeking a kidney donor.

Over the eight years she has been diagnosed with lupus, Christal had to pause her education and stop working for a period.

Earlier this year, her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer, further adding to her family’s concerns and expenses. Her mother has delayed her own surgery to look after Christal.

“It making you feel like you don’t know what your future will be, you feel very uncertain,” she said.

She is hopeful that an individual with blood type O+ and who is willing to donate a kidney can reach out to her on 676-4129 or contact the hospital directly.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect that Christal succumbed on August 14, 2025.