When you first meet Dede Togba, you can’t believe she’s just 11 years old.
Sitting in a waiting room at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), she’s excited to tell her story and talk about her life, remembering every date and detail, all while keeping her 2-year-old nephew from getting into trouble. You can tell by her demeanor that she had to grow up a lot faster than most kids.
Until a few months ago, Dede had been sick for her entire life. Diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome as a baby, which can be caused by a number of disorders affecting the kidneys, she spent years being treated at CHOP. Doctors were focused on managing her disease to keep her kidneys as healthy as possible for as long as possible.