Meet Bradelyn Douglas. Bradelyn’s journey began in May of 2013 when Bradelyn was 3 years old. He had a stomach virus that would not go away.  After several trips to the pediatrician and a blood test it was determined Bradelyn did not have a stomach virus, but that he was in kidney failure.  Bradelyn’s pediatrician sent him directly to the hospital in his hometown of Laurinburg, NC, where he was later transferred to UNC Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill, NC.  Bradelyn immediately began hemo-dialysis and was hospitalized in the ICU.  Bradelyn’s doctor at UNC performed several more blood tests and a biopsy of his kidney.  During the biopsy the doctor thought she mistakenly hit a bone, but in fact it was his kidney.  They were completely hardened and not functioning at all.  The biopsy test was sent to the Mayo Clinic, where it was confirmed Bradelyn was born with a rare metabolic disorder, oxalosis.  The inborn metabolic disease caused by his liver led to his kidney disease.  Oxalosis can cause low calcium levels, liver damage, kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmia and death.  To cure Bradelyn’s disease he needed a liver and kidney transplant.

After about 6 weeks of being in the hospital, Bradelyn came home.  Bradelyn had to have peritoneal dialysis every night 7 days a week and hemo-dialysis about 3 times a week.  His parents Buddy and Roxanne were trained on how to perform the peritoneal dialysis at home and Bradelyn and his parents traveled to UNC Hospital for the hemo-dialysis.

After 19 days on the transplant list, Bradelyn received his transplant at UNC Hospitals on July 2, 2013.  Bradelyn is the youngest combined liver-kidney transplant recipient at UNC Hospital and the youngest in the state of North Carolina.

Bradelyn is ten years old now and continues to thrive after his transplant, however this does not eliminate all his medical issues and struggles.  Bradelyn will always be immunocompromised and he lives a different life than other kids his age.

We are partnering with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) for assistance with a lifetime of transplant-related expenses.  Please consider donating to COTA in honor of Bradelyn.  Bradelyn and his family appreciate your love and support and especially your prayers.

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.