Mother pleads for kidney transplant for son needs over N$2m if done in South Africa

A single mother from Kalkfeld is appealing to Namibians and well-wishers abroad to help raise funds to take her four-year-old son to India for a kidney transplant, after doctors told her his kidneys are at end-stage failure.

Christophina Hishi is the mother of Junior Helgott Walter Hishi. She says he was born with small kidneys that have never functioned well. His condition became critical on 7 April 2026.

“Junior was just coughing with shortness of breath, and he was also having the problem of the legs,” she said.

“The leg is like denting, and he is not walking normal.”

Tests showed his creatinine level was 800, and his potassium
was high, with protein in his
urine. He spent more than two weeks in the intensive care
unit.

At a follow-up appointment on 21
July 2026, his doctor, Dr Shafaka, confirmed that his kidneys were still not working and that he had reached stage five, the final stage of kidney disease.

The doctor recommended a transplant. Hishi has offered to be the donor.

“I really need help, any assistance from the community, the Namibian people and the whole world, just to assist me to raise funds for my boy to get treatment,” she
said.

Doctors first pointed to Germany because Junior’s father is a German national. Hishi says the father has denied the
child and will not provide the documents the German embassy needs to place him under the father’s insurance. A second paternity test was scheduled for yesterday (Monday). With Germany stalled, the doctor suggested India. The doctor said having
the procedure done in South Africa could cost about N$2 million, while the costs in India or Germany would be lower. “One million is only for flight tickets and testing,” Hishi said of South Africa, a figure that excludes the surgery itself.

The doctor is contacting a specialist in India for an official quotation, and the family does not yet have a final figure. Hishi said they will return to the doctor after the appointment to ask for an estimate that includes transport and other costs.

Hishi is unemployed and the sole caregiver of three children. Her eldest is at the University in Namibia and her second child is in Grade 11 in Outjo. Junior cannot attend school because he needs constant care.

He suffers from high blood pressure, his legs are weak and he often falls. “He’s not growing in weight and height, he’s just short,” she said. “He’s four years, but the bones are still weak.”

Each trip from Kalkfeld to Windhoek for check-ups adds to the strain. The family uses the ride-hailing service Yango for Junior’s safety, while Hishi travels by public transport.

A family friend said she spends “around about N$2 000 plus medication” every month and that those helping her are also unemployed.

Hishi says a kidney transplant should change his life: “He will be growing normally, as a normal child should grow.”

The family has begun circulating a fundraising flyer and plans to raise money by selling plates of food at N$120 each. Hishi’s lawyer is preparing to approach the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and relatives plan to appeal to banks, companies and the Office of the President, backed by the medical report.

A family friend who has been supporting Hishi since they met during a hospital stay said the situation had moved her: “Just to save a little child’s life… you as a father should stand for your child and see that health comes first,” she said.

A prominent football player who refused to be named donated N$5 000 for this cause.

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