Joshua’s story begins with his 20-week anatomy scan, which revealed signs of a lower urinary tract obstruction. Born with underdeveloped and cystic kidneys, he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. Holly, Joshua’s mother, recalls, “We were told before his birth that if he survived, he would need dialysis to bridge him to a kidney transplant.”
“Joshua’s condition has been difficult since birth,” shares Holly. “He had frequent labs, appointments, hospitalizations, and dialysis. His treatments have always been a bridge to transplant. He was medically fragile which impacted the entire family. We have spent much of his life isolating and with limited activity. Despite all this, we know that God is good and we have relied on our faith to help us through the difficult years.”
A pivotal moment in Joshua’s journey came when Nemours Children’s Health entered their lives. Recommended by their local medical team, Joshua’s family transitioned to care at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. “We reached out for evaluation and the rest is history,” shares Holly.
At Nemours Children’s, Joshua found a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and clinicians who worked seamlessly together to create a personalized plan for his care. “Any change is difficult, but it did not take long for us to feel confident in the team,” says Holly. “We met with the nephrology, urology, and transplant teams who all worked seamlessly together to create a plan for Joshua. It has been a great experience working with everyone.”
For the kidney transplant surgery, Dr. Dunn and Dr. De Cotiis put Joshua and his family at ease as they discussed the surgery details and made themselves available for questions. “The entire team went above and beyond to care for Joshua and make his transplant a success,” says Holly. “Dr. Bhatnagar and Lauri Capriotti worked closely to keep Joshua stable with dialysis while we worked towards transplant. Dr. Onder, Dr. Gluck, Nicole Tumolo, Brenna Dunleavey, and many others have held our hands through and on the other side as we navigate post-transplant life. We cannot leave out the incredible nurses, child life, administrators and especially our ladies at the lab. There is a culture at Nemours that you don’t find everywhere – they treat Joshua like family.”
With the transplant behind them, Joshua is now thriving under the watchful eye of his Nemours care team. “We are extremely happy with follow-up care,” says Holly. “The entire team is very attentive and has thoroughly walked us through the post-transplant process and long-term plan. We feel very blessed to have such an amazing team continuing to care for Joshua.”
Looking ahead, Holly and her family envision a future filled with normalcy, travel, and spending time with family. Holly shares, “One of the most exciting parts of this transplant is Joshua has a beautiful future ahead of him. He feels so much better. He has missed a lot of milestones due to his illness, but since the transplant he’s been surpassing them by leaps and bounds.”
To those embarking on a similar journey, Holly offers these words of encouragement, “God is good, Joshua’s life has been a miracle,” she says. “For the families still fighting in the trenches, there is always hope and things can get easier. We pray that this becomes true for you too.”
As he continues to grow and thrive, Joshua’s story serves as a reminder of hope and inspiration for the patients and families of Nemours Children’s Health.
