Our journey began in the fall 2021 when Annaliese and her siblings returned to school. She was overjoyed to see her friends, but one week into the school year she started to get very sick. The first signs were a cough and swelling around her eyes. It lasted a couple days and went away. COVID tests came back negative, and with allergy medications the swelling went down – but it would also come right back. 

After a frustrating month, Annaliese woke up one morning with high fever and swelling around her eyes. A doctor suggested she take a urine sample to check for UTI. While that came back negative, what they did find was even more concerning: Annaliese was nephrotic, which meant she was spilling protein in her urine. Kidney biopsy revealed she had FSGS, a rare disease that affects the kidneys and can lead to kidney damage and failure. 

Testing revealed that her kidney function was at 40%, which seemed shockingly low. With treatment, the doctors were optimistic that they could stabilize the kidney and prolong its life, but over the next few months her kidney function dropped steadily. By February, her kidney function was at 8%.  

Annaliese was referred for a kidney transplant and Kate, Annaliese’s mother, underwent two days of testing to see if she could be a kidney donor for Annaliese. Our prayers were answered when Kate was approved.

The next hurdle in Annaliese’s journey was learning that because Annaliese was nephrotic, spilling protein in her urine, she would need to have both kidneys removed prior to transplant. This would mean that Annaliese would need to be on dialysis prior to her kidney transplant. This was a hard pill to swallow as a parent. On March 30th, 2022, Annaliese had her kidneys removed and began dialysis.  

Through the crazy and emotional past few months Annaliese has handled everything with determination and bravery and is looking forward to her kidney transplant on May 9th. 

We have partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) for assistance with transplant-related expenses. Please consider donating to COTA in honor of Annaliese.

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.