At Bear’s 12-week ultrasound, his parents (Joshua and Jarren) learned that his bladder was severely enlarged. A few days later, they had a referral to see a High-Risk OB. It was that day that Bear was diagnosed with having a Bladder Outlet Obstruction from something called Posterior Urethral Valves. PUV’s occur when a boy is born with extra flaps of tissue that have grown in his urethra, the tube in which urine exits the urinary tract. Basically, his urethra did not develop properly, which caused a backup of urine that his bladder could not empty. We were warned that his bladder could become so enlarged with fluid that it backs up into his kidneys, causing permanent kidney damage. 

The doctors in Knoxville kept a watchful eye on Jarren and Bear with ultrasounds every 2-3 days, early steroid shots to help his lungs develop faster, and bedrest. Josh and Jarren watched his amniotic fluid go up and down for months until they reached 37 weeks and 2 days, in which an emergency c-section was performed. 

Bear Thatcher Brothers came into the world on 4/2/2021, which just so happened to be “Good Friday.” Seconds after he made his great debut into the world, the nurse said, “Does somebody have red hair in the family?” Josh and Jarren looked at each other and smiled while also in disbelief that they have a redhead. A few minutes later, the NICU team stepped in because Bear was having a hard time breathing. Once stabilized, the NICU team transported him to our local Children’s Hospital for further care. 

The next morning, Josh and Jarren met with the urologist who informed them that he suspected that the backup of Bear’s bladder had caused permanent kidney damage. After several days in the NICU, he requested to do a surgery to fully remove the blockage in his urethra. A week after his birth, Bear was taken into surgery. Surgery to remove the blockage was successful but a few days after, Bear went into respiratory distress and heart failure due to fluid overload. That night Bear was transported via the “Angel ambulance” to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, 3 hours away from home. 

Following that were several scary days, procedures, and multiple surgeries. Bear was officially diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease and would require dialysis until he was big enough for a transplant. Jarren and Josh were told to expect to spend a few months at Vanderbilt until he could tolerate the necessary amount of fluid to be placed on a home cycler. Bear spent 93 days in the NICU there before he was ready to return home to Knoxville. 

Since returning home, Bear has been on dialysis nightly and is awaiting his first kidney transplant. Transplanted kidneys last anywhere from 12 to 20 years. This means Bear will need multiple transplants over the course of his lifetime. This is where COTA’s mission comes in. COTA stands ready to assist Bear with transplant-related expenses where insurance does not for his entire lifetime. 

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.