A dessert bar in St. Albert is raising funds for a good cause.
Confections Cake Co. is running a silent auction until the end of February, with hopes to raise money for an Edmonton woman struggling with kidney failure.
“I just want to try and help her any way I can. I feel sad about it,” said Brittany Allen, owner and baker at Confections Cake Co.
Chantel Wilk, just 26, was recently diagnosed with renal failure and put on dialysis. She receives treatment three times a week for four hours each time.
Her kidneys lost function as a result of having Diabetes Type 1, a disease in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or can’t use the insulin that’s produced. Wilk was diagnosed with diabetes when she was two years old.
“For my parents, I think it was a little bit hard,” Wilk said. “Giving a kid needles every day and restricting their food is probably difficult, especially when the kid doesn’t understand why they have to do that.”
People with diabetes require insulin injections and a strict diet to watch their blood sugar levels. Unmanaged diabetes can lead to a multitude of health issues including eye damage, amputation and heart disease, to name a few.
As a teen, Wilk said she “rebelled” against her health and didn’t manage her blood sugar levels. She decided to focus on her wellbeing when she entered her 20’s, but the damage was already done.
Wilk has been placed on a transplant list, but said she believes it will take a long time before she receives a kidney from a deceased donor. She is also on a transplant list for a pancreas.
According to the organ donor program in Alberta, by the end of December 2017 there were 441 patients on the waitlist for a new kidney. Last year, there were 192 transplants, with 62 of those coming from live donors.
Sister Stephanie Wilk decided to start a GoFundMe page to help her with the costs of living with diabetes and renal failure. Along with paying rent and other living expenses, Chantel has to buy insulin and the equipment needed to manage diabetes.
Part of the funds would also go towards sending Chantel to a nutritionist. So far, the page has raised $5,125 of its goal of $8,000.
Stephanie said it’s been “heartbreaking” watching her sister’s health decline.
“It’s obviously very emotional,” she said, her voice hitching. “She’s just like my mini partner-in-crime ... I would do anything for her.”
Stephanie is currently exploring whether or not she’s an organ donor match with her sister.
When Allen, who’s friends with Stephanie, heard Chantel worked full time and received dialysis multiple times a week – on top of trying to afford medicine and cost of living – she felt compelled to help.
“When I found out, I was really touched by it,” she explained. “I just really wanted to do something to help her out. It’s a lot for somebody to go through, especially when she’s so young.”
There are currently several items up for auction at Confections Cake Co. They include a locally created painting of Jay-Z, a gingerbread house made by the dessert bar and featured in the Snowflake Festival, locally made necklace and earrings, and private cupcake classes for up to 10 people.
Chantel said the amount of support she's received from family and friends has been overwhelming. Not having met Allen, she was surprised to hear about the auction.
“It just shows how much people do care,” she expressed. “I’ve never met this lady in my life, I feel so loved. This woman doesn’t know, we’ve never talked and she wants to help.”
To learn more, visit Chantel’s GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/25-year-old-kidney-failure-relief. The silent auction is taking place at Confections Cake Co. at #140, 15 Perron St, St. Albert.
