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Like any parent, Brittany Young has scores of photos of her four children, whether they’re celebrating the holidays, visiting Disney World or just goofing around. But it’s a picture of her son Kellen at Boston Children’s Hospital that has the potential to bring tears to a viewer’s eyes. Surrounded by his care team, Kellen sits in his hospital bed, a wide smile on his face. There, amid the stuffed toys and colorful blankets, rests a seemingly innocuous item: a package of Pampers. Yet for Kellen and his family, those diapers mean so much more. They’re a sign that this little boy’s newly transplanted kidney is working just as it should. …
A bond rooted in kidney transplant: Catching up with Ayden and Aubrey
We celebrate National Kidney Month with a look back at a special friendship sparked by kidney transplant.
Ayden was born with polycystic kidney disease.
Aubrey was diagnosed with congenital nephrotic syndrome at 4 months old, and by age 18 months, she had both kidneys removed and was on dialysis. …
From the heart: The tale of a three-time transplant recipient
Playing youth hockey and Little League in the spring of 1988, I started to become easily fatigued. I became very weak and could no longer run around. By May, a visit to my pediatrician resulted in a trip to the Boston Children’s Hospital Cardiology Clinic on Fegan 6 and the first of many cardiac catheterizations I would receive in my life.
The results of that first procedure were shared in my corner room across from the nurses’ station on 6 East (the cardiac step-down at the time): I would need a heart transplant for cardiomyopathy. It was Friday the 13th. I was 10 years old. …
Four moving forward, following living donation
Many children wait months — and sometimes years — for a transplant, but thanks to the generosity of living donors, some kids don’t have to wait. Read about the lives and futures of four children saved by living donation.
Helping Sloan live up to her name
Without Lt. Steve Tenney, 7-month-old Sloan wouldn’t be nursing, beginning to roll over on her own or meeting other milestones. “I did what anyone would have done,” says Tenney, who donated a piece of his liver when Sloan was only 5 months old.
“Sloan means ‘warrior,’” her mom, Sarah says. “We didn’t think she’d need to be a warrior at such a young age — but she showed us she is.” Read more about Sloan’s liver transplant.
