ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Transplant

We were at our favorite skate park with friends when my son, Rocco, fell off his skateboard and hurt his leg. We headed straight to the ER, where we found out that Rocco had a closed triplane fracture of his right ankle. While in the ER, they also noticed his blood pressure was high. My first thought was, ‘He just broke his ankle, of course it’s high.’ But the nurse insisted that we make a follow-up appointment with his pediatrician. After a few days of Rocco being home, we checked his blood pressure, and it was still very high. So, we made an appointment with the pediatrician. Rocco’s father was 13 years old when he went into kidney failure. Because of this family history, I asked them to do a full kidney workup on Rocco. A day later, we received a phone call asking us to go to our local […]

When Piper was just a year old, her parents, Chris and Erin, noticed something unusual—she woke up one morning with a puffy face. Concerned, they took her to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, where doctors quickly determined there was a kidney issue. What followed was a long and complex journey to find the right diagnosis. After weeks of testing, Dr. Tapia identified Piper’s condition as Denys-Drash Syndrome—a rare and serious kidney disorder with only about 250 known cases worldwide. For the next seven months, Piper underwent treatment, but as her disease progressed, her family faced a difficult decision. To prevent the development of Wilms tumor—an almost certain outcome of Denys-Drash—it was decided Piper’s kidney would be removed under the care of Dr. Stephen Dunn. By December, she received a life-changing gift: a kidney transplant from her dad, Chris. “Dr. Dunn is a gift from God,” says Chris. “He gave our daughter […]

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 […]

Growing up in rural Jamaica, Dr. Judith A. Jones was inspired by the idea of helping others. In a community where the only female healthcare professionals she saw were nurses, her older brother’s encouragement sparked the realization that she, too, could become a doctor. “It reinforces for me to this day how a casual comment can change the trajectory of a child’s life, making things possible that were not previously dreamt of,” says Dr. Jones. “My big brother told me I could be a doctor, and so I did, because it was the way in which I believed I could help people. As a young girl, I had an overwhelming sense that I should help people when I grew up. My parents were incredibly hard-working and were professionals despite coming from humble beginnings. Their example and encouragement also led me to pursue medicine as my life’s work.” Her career led […]

From the moment he was born, Luca has been full of surprises. He entered the world in February 2022, a month earlier than expected. Anticipating a baby girl, complete with a gender reveal celebration, Luca’s parents were surprised by his arrival. Their anatomy scan’s mistaken prediction left them pleasantly surprised by their baby boy. Shortly thereafter, concerns arose regarding Luca’s kidney health, along with some unfavorable lab results. Luca was transported to the NICU and later taken to Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. “When the doctors at Inspira Mullica Hill started to get an inkling that Luca had serious kidney issues, they recommended right away that we be transferred to Nemours Children’s,” says his mother, Cory. “We appreciated their honesty so much, as they explained to us that they didn’t have the capability to deal with Luca appropriately. One doctor even said that if this was his child, he would have […]

Everlee’s story begins with a diagnosis of hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer, at the age of 17 months. Her mother, Jenna, recalls the moment when she first noticed something amiss with her daughter’s health. “It was right around Christmas of 2022,” says Jenna. As first-time parents, Jenna and Jarod couldn’t shake the feeling that Everlee’s belly seemed larger than normal. Despite reassurances from pediatricians, inklings of concern persisted, especially when family members echoed their observations. “Something just seemed off,” says Jenna. “I was giving her a bath one day, and I laid her out on the towel and thought, ‘Oh my gosh, she just looks so bloated.’” Alarmed, Jenna wasted no time in seeking medical attention. She was able to get Everlee in to see her local pediatrician at their last appointment for the day on Friday, January 13th. The routine examination led to the discovery of a […]