Harlow's Hope - The Second Kidney Transplant

“If you had just one wish, wha….?" Before the question was even finished, she was ready with the answer: "To be a normal kid," she said. Her angelic smile and quiet charm can make you forget for a moment, that she has been in and out of hospitals since she was six. That’s when she had her first kidney transplant surgery. Her second kidney transplant is scheduled for this month.

INTRODUCTION

Meet Harlow Tucker, a bright, 13-year-old girl from Connecticut. Hi, I'm Dave Sheldon, a long-time friend of the Tucker family, here to introduce you to a remarkable young lady. She’s very cute, a little shy, and lights up when she talks about Taylor Swift!

Harlow was born with only a single, partially functioning kidney. The condition is "BOR Syndrome." Doctors said her kidney would eventually fail altogether, and at age six it began to shut down. A crisis was unfolding, with potentially devastating consequences. Little Harlow needed a miracle.

THE MIRACLE

All prayers are answered, just not in the same way. Prayers for Harlow’s miracle were answered with a bittersweet 'Yes.' Heartbreaking news had arrived that Harlow’s older cousin, David, had just been killed in a motorcycle crash. In the wake of tragedy and sorrow, Harlow had been granted her miracle.

The generosity of the organ donation and a successful kidney transplant surgery had made it possible for Harlow to resume an “almost” normal life for the next seven years.

A YEAR - LIVING IN A BAD DREAM

In August of last year, the transplanted kidney began to fail, and she was back in the hospital. This time, there were neither miracles nor choices, except to face the reality of dialysis and the surgery to implant a port in her chest. A tube would connect her to ‘the machine’ for four hours a day, two days a week, for the foreseeable future.

Disaster struck during one of her first dialysis sessions. An embolism (a blockage), that formed suddenly in a blood vessel, had lodged in her heart, sending Harlow to emergency open-heart surgery.

Recovering, but still fragile from heart surgery, she developed sepsis, a dangerous infection requiring immediate surgery to halt its deadly progression. Then incredibly, yet another embolism developed, requiring yet another lifesaving surgery. After four surgeries and over a month in the hospital, she was finally able to come home to her family and her beloved “Baby Cat.”

PRESENT DAY

Harlow started the ninth grade this year; she loves school and being with her friends. But dialysis is four hours on the machine, and three hours round trip to the hospital, every Monday and Friday. So she always has homework to make up for missed classes, in addition to her regular assignments.

The same BOR Syndrome that caused her kidney problem also causes deafness, so she wears hearing aids to compensate. It’s a lot, but she not only keeps up with her class, she was an ‘Honor Roll Student” last year!

“A NEW HOPE”

Harlow is scheduled for her second kidney transplant surgery this month. Her post-op recovery will be at least eight weeks, and she will spend the first few days in the hospital, and the remainder of her recovery will be at home.

Whether in-patient or out-patient, she will have her family at her side, every minute of every day, for however long it takes. Her primary caregivers during recovery will be her father, Kirk Tucker, and her grandmother, Lisa Tucker.

Kirk Tucker is a single parent, who is completely devoted to his three children. At any time during Harlow’s ordeal, she didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know that her father was always there - her watchful guardian, her pillar of strength when she had none, and her source of comfort.

Lisa Tucker is the kind of grandmother who keeps the trains running on time and makes sure that everyone has a seat at the table. Her family knows they can depend on her in difficult times, and her kids and grandkids saw that Harlow’s trials were Lisa’s trials, too. They love and respect her and know she’d do the same for them.

BE PART OF HARLOW’S STORY

Kirk and Lisa both work full-time jobs and will have to take leave during Harlow’s recovery. All of their day-to-day living expenses will continue on as usual. Hospital and home healthcare bills that insurance doesn’t pay and other unforeseen expenses are guaranteed to arise, but having enough money to pay them is not guaranteed.

THANK YOU

You have our heartfelt thanks for considering a financial donation and please share Harlow’s story with your friends on social media, to spread the word. Check back here often for updates about Harlow and the impact your support is having.