'There were some really dark times' - Walsall mother lifts lid on decade-long kidney battle and praises Black Country docs for 'princess treatment'
Mum-of-three Vicky had a genetic kidney battle for more than a decade before being put on dialysis, culminating in a transplant which she said gave her her life back.
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Dr Yaa Victorine Ngamsha – Vicky – is originally from Cameroon but came to the UK to get married in 2001, moving to Birmingham in 2007 and Bentley in Walsall a year later.
The successful musician, business woman, motivational speaker and ambassador studied at the University of Wolverhampton and, along with her husband, has raised three children in the region.
But in April 2023, a genetic condition - Polycystic kidney disease - which had been clocked by docs years before came to a head, culminating in kidney failure and ultimately leading to her having to need kidney dialysis for six months before getting the call that would go on to change her life.
During a trip to town to buy an ironing board on September 10, Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital summoned her to a hospital bed immediately as it had found a donor and could finally put an end to her kidney struggles.
After recovery, the brave mum-of-three threw a party to celebrate the successful transplant and invited all of her friends and family as well as the doctors that cared for her like a 'princess' - who she credits as being the people that saved her life - and they all watched on as a horse and carriage pulled Vicky and her family into the sunset after a months of uncertainty regarding her health.
Vicky, 51, said: "Before the kidney trouble I had a very active life, I was travelling around the world performing music, I did charity work for my home country and for the local area in Walsall.
"I would go to America, Canada, Germany and other countries to perform music and motivational speaking. I also opened two libraries in the village I was from in Cameroon, and my husband's village also, from books donated in the West Midlands.
