It is the news no mother wants to hear. But Shauna had a feeling – because her seven-year-old daughter Aidan was so small for her age and couldn’t stay dry at night – she knew something was wrong. At Aidan’s annual checkup, routine bloodwork showed her creatinine levels were sky high so the Lethbridge family travelled to Alberta Children’s Hospital for more tests.

On July 6, in the middle of the night, Aidan was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure. The next morning, she had surgery to insert a tube in her belly, and within the week, Aidan started doing peritoneal dialysis (PD) seven days a week. “That day our lives changed forever,” says Shauna.

Like many families, Shauna, Aidan and her dad Darren were unaware of kidney disease and its impact on people’s lives. “It’s such a hard thing to go through. More awareness and support is needed for families,” Shauna says. After many medical procedures and a year of PD, Aidan – now 9 years old – received a transplant from her mom. “She went from taking many medications several times a day to a handful twice a day,” Shauna beams. During a clinic visit, they saw a poster advertising kidney camp, and decided to apply.

“It was hard for us to let her go,” says Shauna. “But we knew now that she’s 11, she would have a blast.” Aidan admits, saying goodbye to her parents was tough, and there were even a few tears. But diving into the activities helped her forget about being homesick. “The zip line was my favourite thing ever,” Aidan declares. “My other favourite was the high ropes where they attach you to these wires at your waist, and strings that run to different sections way up high.”

Aidan was in a bunkhouse with eight campers between 8 and 11 years old – kids with kidney disease from across Alberta. “As the week progresses, the kids begin to talk about being a kidney kid,” says Lisa Shi, a counsellor from Aidan’s bunkhouse. “They struggle with feeling different, and feeling limited by their disease. It was rewarding to show them they aren’t limited. That they can go beyond the boundaries that others have set, or they themselves have set.” The camp has a swimming pool, peddle carts, and daily activities including wide-scale games in the woods and songs by the campfire.

This was Lisa’s first time working with kidney kids; she aims to return next summer. “They are great kids – special in every way. They LOVE CAMP,” she says. “They saw everything with a wide-eyed view and took everything at its fullest.” Lisa also wants donors to know that the benefits of camp go far beyond one week.
Shauna also highlights that aspect of the camp experience. “We don’t really know anyone else from our area who has kidney disease. So it was really nice for her to meet other kids going through it,” says Shauna. “I would recommend it for other families for sure!”