Chocolate as Poison?
July 10, 2012
Not being able to eat even a piece of chocolate for a short period of time is bad enough, how much more for a little girl who at the age of five is not allowed to taste even a little bit of this sweet heaven. For normal people, too much chocolate candy could cause maybe cavities, increased sugar levels, sore throats and inflamed tonsils. But to Lola Raine, this could cost her entire life.
Even before she was born, Lola's parents Natalie and Tim already found out that she had Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease or ARPKD. This is one very rare kidney and liver disease that is inherited by a child from her carrier parents. In this condition, kidneys do not function well. They do not dispose properly the waste materials of the body. Because of that, potassium and other toxic agents accumulate in the body, thus poisoning the blood and posing grave threat to the life of a person.
And because life is all sorts unfair, Lola's family resides less than ten miles away from a factory of a very popular chocolate brand, Cadbury. Mother Natalie shares that Lola does not really demand chocolate, but she becomes really down and cries her heart out since she cannot have any of it. Other than chocolate, Lola is also prohibited to eat chips and cereals. Her typical diet would be composed of bread, pasta, and meat.
The known cure for Lola's condition is a kidney and liver transplant. Her family is up for it, and has enlisted her for organ donations but two have been cancelled already. Unfortunately, her condition has gotten worse as she is at the end stage of renal failure. She has to submit herself every three months for routine check up and is not allowed to go out of town trips since they need to be just fifteen minutes away from the hospital in case of emergencies. One very strong thread of hope is for Lola to be cured the same as her sister Nicole. After a combined kidney and liver transplant, Nicole is now living her life and eating all the chocolate she wants.
Lola is young. She has the rest of her life ahead of her. With religiously following treatments, keeping away from harmful factors and hoping for the best, Lola will get to be in better shape. Chocolate is not at all toxic. But if it is considered that, let it remain a poison rather that to lose the precious life of an innocent little girl.
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