Thandolwethu Cindi, a South African TikTok influencer, had the biggest shock of her life during her senior year in high school.
She’s been going to the doctor twice a year since she was a kid. But all along, she thought it was for kidney stones, which was what her parents told her. But things started not to add up. Her symptoms didn’t match that of someone with kidney stones, and her family asked her not to disclose her medications in school. During a biology class, she found out she could even have kidney stones surgically removed, but no one had offered her that option.
The year she turned 18, she finally found the courage to confront her mother. On the way to the hospital laboratory for a blood test, Cindi asked her why she had to keep on drinking pills.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
