Just thought I would share a blog post about why Kidney Month is so special to our family.
March is National Kidney Month, which makes it a very special month for our family. As many of you know, our daughter Lizzie has a condition known as kidney reflux. After a very difficult first year, Lizzie had her second major surgery on March 26, 2008... two years ago this month. Thanks to a lot of prayer, amazing doctors and the research of places like the National Kidney Foundation, our daughter’s life has changed dramatically over the last few years.
It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were desperately looking for answers. Lizzie had been so sick her first year of life, and due to a number of rare complications she was constantly cycling in and out of the hospital. She had already had one failed surgery, and our list of options was getting short. We were always worried about her health, and especially concerned that her kidneys were at risk of permanent damage from constant re-infection. After talking to her doctors, it was decided that she needed a more aggressive treatment, and she had her vesicostomy put in two years ago. It was the best medical decision that we could have made. Lizzie hasn’t had an overnight stay in the hospital since being released two years ago! At the time, I never dreamed this would be possible. We have been so blessed.
Lizzie still faces some obstacles in the future (but hey don’t we all?). She continues to be monitored closely, and we continue to look for answers. Hopefully in the spring of 2012, she will have surgery to take down the vesicostomy, and from there? Well, we don’t really know what to expect. What we do know, is that we are lucky to live in a time and place where medical advancements are around every corner, and because of this we have every reason to believe that Lizzie will live a perfectly healthy, happy life. We were extremely lucky to have found Lizzie’s condition early and to have treated it so aggressively. She is growing well, developing well, and torturing big brother as well as the next kid, which is why it is so important to know the early signs of kidney disease, and what you can do to prevent it.
I know most people don’t give much thought to their kidneys, but around here it’s a common subject. World Kidney Day is just one more chance for us to celebrate all that Lizzie has overcome. We spend a lot of time sharing Lizzie’s story with other parents and trying to raise awareness for kidney and urinary health. I figure most of you guys needed your awareness’ raised too
So, I encourage you to take 5 minutes and learn how you can help keep your family healthy and safe from kidney disease. I also encourage parents of young children to know the signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection and what steps you should take if your child develops symptoms.
Here is a video journal of how our daughter has overcome amazing obstacles thanks to your prayers and the amazing advances of modern medicine.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p...98&skin_id=601
For more information on Kidney Health and World Kidney Day:
http://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/kidneymonth/
For more information on Urinary Tract Infections in children:
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseas...s/utichildren/
(Mods, if I need to remove the links I can)
March is National Kidney Month, which makes it a very special month for our family. As many of you know, our daughter Lizzie has a condition known as kidney reflux. After a very difficult first year, Lizzie had her second major surgery on March 26, 2008... two years ago this month. Thanks to a lot of prayer, amazing doctors and the research of places like the National Kidney Foundation, our daughter’s life has changed dramatically over the last few years.
It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were desperately looking for answers. Lizzie had been so sick her first year of life, and due to a number of rare complications she was constantly cycling in and out of the hospital. She had already had one failed surgery, and our list of options was getting short. We were always worried about her health, and especially concerned that her kidneys were at risk of permanent damage from constant re-infection. After talking to her doctors, it was decided that she needed a more aggressive treatment, and she had her vesicostomy put in two years ago. It was the best medical decision that we could have made. Lizzie hasn’t had an overnight stay in the hospital since being released two years ago! At the time, I never dreamed this would be possible. We have been so blessed.
Lizzie still faces some obstacles in the future (but hey don’t we all?). She continues to be monitored closely, and we continue to look for answers. Hopefully in the spring of 2012, she will have surgery to take down the vesicostomy, and from there? Well, we don’t really know what to expect. What we do know, is that we are lucky to live in a time and place where medical advancements are around every corner, and because of this we have every reason to believe that Lizzie will live a perfectly healthy, happy life. We were extremely lucky to have found Lizzie’s condition early and to have treated it so aggressively. She is growing well, developing well, and torturing big brother as well as the next kid, which is why it is so important to know the early signs of kidney disease, and what you can do to prevent it.
I know most people don’t give much thought to their kidneys, but around here it’s a common subject. World Kidney Day is just one more chance for us to celebrate all that Lizzie has overcome. We spend a lot of time sharing Lizzie’s story with other parents and trying to raise awareness for kidney and urinary health. I figure most of you guys needed your awareness’ raised too
So, I encourage you to take 5 minutes and learn how you can help keep your family healthy and safe from kidney disease. I also encourage parents of young children to know the signs and symptoms of a urinary tract infection and what steps you should take if your child develops symptoms.Here is a video journal of how our daughter has overcome amazing obstacles thanks to your prayers and the amazing advances of modern medicine.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p...98&skin_id=601
For more information on Kidney Health and World Kidney Day:
http://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/kidneymonth/
For more information on Urinary Tract Infections in children:
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseas...s/utichildren/
(Mods, if I need to remove the links I can)
So kidney health is definitely near and dear to our hearts here. We're praying dd2 outgrows it like dd1 did.
