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Kim's Story

At two years old, Liam had undergone two operations and needed 12 hours of dialysis every day.
After two relatively easy pregnancies, my husband Rob and I weren’t too worried about our third. The only question on our minds when I went for my 18-week ultrasound? Whether we were having another boy or another girl.  

We got our answer — another boy! But we also got some news no expectant parent wants to hear. Something wasn’t right with our baby, and we needed further testing.  

In utero, it looked like our son was going to have challenges with his bladder. When Liam was born, we learned the real problem was his kidneys. From his first moments, Liam's life — and our whole family’s — was drastically impacted by his kidney disease.  

Liam’s kidney disease continued to impact his life as he grew. At two years old, Liam had undergone two operations and needed 12 hours of dialysis every day.  

To help, Rob and I underwent training at our local hospital so we could deliver Liam's dialysis at home. Because of the pandemic, we never knew if our training sessions or one of Liam’s procedures would get cancelled at the last minute. You can imagine how difficult that was for all of us.  

We wouldn’t have been able to get through it without a strong support team behind us. The Kidney Foundation of Canada was part of this team, providing support, and most importantly, hope. 

At three years old, we were told Liam needed a kidney transplant. My husband ended up being the perfect match. After everything, Liam finally received Rob’s kidney this spring.  

I’m so happy to tell you that they’re both doing well. In fact, Liam is thriving! Our son is such a whirlwind and full of activity. Now that he no longer needs dialysis, he’s graduated from his cradle to a new ‘big boy’ bed.  

I can see a future where we can 3D print a new kidney, improve on potential post-operative complications, and develop better medications with fewer side effects after transplantation. Doesn’t that sound amazing?