Hello Team Jake! We’ve been home for 10 days now and everything is going pretty well. The weeks and months post transplant are important and have a lot of monitoring that goes with it. Jake currently goes in for labs twice a week and has a clinic visit once a week. They are keeping close watch on his labs due to the medication he is taking. The medication that suppresses his immune system is very sensitive and it is important to have that at a certain level. Too much suppression can actually damage his kidney, where too little can cause kidney rejection. These are medications he will be taking for the rest of his life.

A lot of people have asked us questions about what being immunocompromised means for Jake. In order for Jake’s body to accept the new kidney, his immune system has to be completely wiped out. The hope is that over time his body will not see the new kidney as something foreign, but accept it as something good. Then we can reduce the amount of immunosuppressants he is taking, which will let his immune system start working more normally. That is why if you see Jake around, he is currently wearing a mask. Our goal for the next 6 months to a year is to keep him as healthy as possible. A common illness will likely put him in the hospital, as his body does not have a way to fight it. He won’t be wearing a mask forever, but the reality is that he will always need to be mindful of germs and taking proper precautions. Thank you all for helping to keep him safe!

Tomorrow (8/4), Jake will be back at Children’s Mercy to remove his ureter stent. It will be a quick procedure, but he does need to go under full anesthesia for it. Prayers that it all goes well and we are back home tomorrow evening.

The kidney is still doing great. His team is happy with how things are going. He has not been on any pain meds since leaving the hospital. He is eating, drinking and sleeping normally and starting to get bored at home. All good signs he is feeling better!

Thank you again to all of you for checking in on us. Your love, prayers and support of COTA for Team Jake have carried us through and brightened our days!

– Shelley