Our Story

Story of Mateo Marquez

A strong boy in need of a kidney

The story of Mateo is one of hope for the future. Our son had a very difficult beginning. He was abandoned right after being born and was taken by the local authorities to the city orphanage where he was considered for domestic adoption in China, being that he was at the time a healthy and beautiful baby boy. During the first few months, Mateo experienced normal development until right after 1 year old. His health began to deteriorate and was in an out of the hospital. During one of those hospital stays, the doctors discovered he had polycystic kidney disease, but the orphanage did not have the money to afford treatment. Mateo’s health spiraled downward very quickly and the orphanage started seeking international adoption for him. We as a family just had returned from adopting our second daughter from China during the summer of 2016. At that point, we wanted to wait 2 or 3 years to adopt again, but God had different plans for our family. In October 2016, we saw the photo of Mateo on the internet and we felt called to bring him home.

            During the preceding months, God used an amazing team of individuals and organizations to make Mateo’s adoption possible and an expedite one. Before traveling, we consulted with the best pediatric nephrologist in the DFW, Dr. Albert Quan, who gave us the necessary documentation to request the process to be expedite. An organization called Love without boundaries adopted the medical case of Mateo and people around the world rallied around him to make the necessary surgery possible for him to begin taking dialysis. All of these happened between the months of November and December of 2016 and Mateo was transported from Fujian to Shanghai to receive the medical care he needed. After the peritoneal catheter was installed and dialysis began, Mateo’s health began to stabilize.  He was then transferred back to a local hospital in Fujian where he remained until we met him.

            March 6, of 2017 was the first day we met our son. He had been in the hospital for too long. He was extremely weak and thin. He weighted just over 10 lbs. He was recovering very slowly, but making progress. In the midst of the difficult time, he was surrounded by a wonderful team of nannies and nurses who took care of him. We made it back to Dallas and we headed directly to Medical City where he remained hospitalized for over a month. After receiving excellent care, he was discharged and was brought home. Since that time Mateo has been recovering amazingly. From a child who could not hold anything with his hand, to one who is crawling now everywhere, it is quite a progress. Mateo is getting prepared for his future kidney transplant. He continues to gain the necessary weight and his doctor is very optimistic. We are partnering as a family with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) to raise funds to assist with transplant-related expenses. 100% of funds raised assist with transplant-related expenses. COTA provides support to families and patients for a lifetime – before, during and after transplant. We have seen God used hundreds of people to bless us, and we know for certain that He will continue to use many more and His plans for Mateo’s life will be fulfilled.

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