Former Miss International winner, 28, reveals she needs a 'life-saving transplant'

By | December 20, 2018

Former Miss International reveals she desperately needs a ‘life-saving kidney transplant’ – and the beauty queen suspects a workout powder is to blame for her failing organs

  • Bea Rose Santiago, 28, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in August  
  • She has been on dialysis for the last three-and-a-half months but has been told she needs a ‘life-saving kidney transplant’
  • Santiago said prior to her diagnosis she was drinking pre-workout supplements that had high levels of creatine
  • Creatine is a compound that can significantly impair kidney function.
  • The beauty queen has traveled to Canada to be with her family and meet with ‘potential live donors’
  • Santiago won Miss International – one of the Big Four beauty pageants – in 2013 beating out 66 other contestants 

A Filipina beauty queen has revealed that she is need of a ‘life-saving kidney transplant’.

Miss International 2013, Bea Rose Santiago, shared in August that she was suffering from chronic kidney disease due to her intense ‘gym life’.

Dialysis has been keeping Santiago alive for the past four months, but her condition has deteriorated to such an extent that doctors told her she needs a transplant. 

‘Kinda have kidney failure…Yes, I will be needing a life-saving transplant. I live because of a machine, my dialysis machine, and the doctors and nurses at Home Hemo Dialysis Center in Toronto General,’ the 28-year-old captioned an Instagram of herself with two catheters in her chest.  

Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago revealed in an Instagram post on Tuesday that she is need of a 'life-saving kidney transplant' after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease

Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago revealed in an Instagram post on Tuesday that she is need of a ‘life-saving kidney transplant’ after being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease

For the last three-and-a-half months, Santiago was on dialysis four times a week for five hours a day at the Home Hemodialysis Unit at Toronto General Hospital (pictured)

She traveled to Canada to be with family and meet with live donors. Pictured: Santiago on dialysis at Toronto General

 For the last three-and-a-half months, Santiago was on dialysis four times a week for five hours a day at the Home Hemodialysis Unit at Toronto General Hospital (left and right). She traveled to Canada to be with family and meet with live donors

Read More:  Many migraine sufferers wary of alcohol as a headache trigger - Reuters

Last year, Santiago – who beat 66 other contestants to win Miss International 2013 – began suffering from severe migraines and underwent several tests to determine the cause, reported the Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Doctors in the Philippines said she was suffering from something ‘more dangerous’: chronic kidney disease (CKD).

CKD describes the progressive loss of kidney function.

The kidneys filter excess fluids and waste from your blood, which are excreted through the urine.

As CKD worsens, dangerous levels of these fluids and waste can build up in the body and cause the kidneys to gradually shut down.

The last stage of CKD is end-stage kidney failure, which is fatal without dialysis or a transplant.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 661,000 Americans are suffering from kidney failure. 

Santiago said she was ‘in denial’ about her diagnosis and immediately flew to Tokyo, Japan, for a second opinion. Doctors confirmed her illness.

Santiago  beat 66 other contestants to win Miss International 2013, a beauty pageant held in Tokyo, Japan. Pictured: Santiago  smiles after winning the Miss International 2013

Santiago beat 66 other contestants to win Miss International 2013, a beauty pageant held in Tokyo, Japan. Pictured: Santiago smiles after winning the Miss International 2013

Last year, Santiago began suffering from severe migraines. Pictured: Santiago competes in Miss International 2013

Doctors in the Philippines diagnosed her with CKD in August. Pictured: Santiago competing in Miss International 2013

Last year, Santiago (competing in Miss International 2013, left and right) began suffering from severe migraines. Doctors in the Philippines diagnosed her with CKD in August

She then joined her family in Toronto, Canada, and to meet with ‘potential live donors’. 

After her diagnosis, she told the Philippine TV show Balitanghali she suspects the pre-workout supplements she was drinking prior may have played a role.  

‘I just increased the intensity of my workout and I took a little bit of help from, you know, MGA powders,’ she said, according to GMA Network.

Read More:  Tracking Covid-19 cases in the US

However, she later discovered the supplement had high levels of creatine, a compound that can significantly impair kidney function. 

For the last three-and-a-half months, Santiago has been on dialysis four times a week for five hours a day at the Home Hemodialysis Unit at Toronto General Hospital.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, she revealed the arduous two hour trip to the hospital she had to make so she could be hooked up to the machine.

It tested my whole being. It tested my patience, confidence in myself, my faith and my family,’ she wrote.

Santiago says that, despite the fact that her journey ‘will only get harder,’ she wants to focus on being positive.   

At the time of her diagnosis, Santiago (pictured) said she suspected the pre-workout supplements she was drinking may have played a role. They have high levels of creatine, a compound that can significantly impair kidney function

At the time of her diagnosis, Santiago (pictured) said she suspected the pre-workout supplements she was drinking may have played a role. They have high levels of creatine, a compound that can significantly impair kidney function

Santiago (pictured) also urged her followers to have themselves checked and says she wants to educate other about the devastating disease

Santiago (pictured) also urged her followers to have themselves checked and says she wants to educate other about the devastating disease

‘God wanted me to live so He made me go to the ER for my migraines,’ Santiago wrote.

‘He gave me friends who are too loving, they can be saints, and a family and best friends that’s willing to share their organs without me forcing them.’

Santiago also urged her followers to have themselves checked and says she wants to educate other about the devastating disease.  

‘I am not asking for sympathy I am asking for awareness…I am lucky and I am loved! Bad kidneys can kiss my @$ $ !’ she wrote.

Santiago, who was born in Muntinlupa, Philippines, started competing in beauty pageants in 2011, just two years before she won her Miss International crown.

Miss International began in 1960 in Long Beach, California, but it has been held in Japan since 2004.

Read More:  This former Apple engineer has analyzed the microbes in his body 600 times — here's what he learned

It is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants along with Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Earth.

WHAT IS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND HOW CAN YOU SPOT IT?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also called chronic kidney failure, describes the gradual loss of kidney function. 

Our kidneys filter out waste products and excess fluids from the blood before they are excreted through urine. They also help maintain blood pressure.

As CKD advances, the kidneys do not function properly and dangerous levels of waste build up in your body.

The risk of CKD increases as you age. It is also more common among Asians and blacks.

CKD does not usually cause any symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage. It can be detected early on via blood and urine tests.

Symptoms include: 

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Sleep problems
  • Changes in how much you urinate
  • Decreased mental sharpness
  • Muscle twitches and cramps
  • Swelling of feet and ankles
  • Persistent itching
  • Chest pain, if fluid builds up around the lining of the heart
  • Shortness of breath, if fluid builds up in the lungs
  • High blood pressure that is difficult to control

Those with the condition have a greater risk of having a stroke or heart attack. It can also cause kidney failure, when sufferers will need to have dialysis or a possible transplant.

However, lifestyle changes and medication can stop the disease from getting worse if it is diagnosed at an early stage.

To reduce your risk:  

  • Follow instructions for over-the-counter medications. Taking too many pain relievers can lead to kidney damage
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Don’t smoke. Smoking cigarettes can cause kidney damage 

Source: Mayo Clinic

Health | Mail Online