Seven is Officially a Kidney Transplant Recipient!

My name is Natalie. I am the mother of a beautiful 9 year old girl named Seven. Seven is creative...she loves to paint and draw. She dreams of being a chef or a teacher when she grows up, and her smile can light up a room. She loves to be goofy and find ways to make her little sister laugh. In so many ways, she is like any other 9-year-old. Except Seven has no kidneys. My sweet girl's childhood is currently wrought with tests, Dr.'s appointments, and hours of dialysis each week. I believe in her resiliency, as well as the kindness of our community. They say "it takes a village" to raise a child, so as I prepare to donate my kidney to Seven, I am humbly asking you, my "village", to consider helping Seven reclaim her childhood.


March 2020 held one of the worst days of our lives. I will never forget the call I received from Seven's pediatrician informing me that Seven's kidneys were not working and that she needed to be life-flighted to Oklahoma City.


A few months after Seven's 8th birthday, she developed a severe urinary tract infection that required treatment twice. That raised concern from the Dr.,  and Seven was scheduled to have an ultrasound on her kidneys and bladder wall. The scan was repeated several times and each time showed bilateral inflammation of kidneys and the wall of her bladder. Labs were eventually drawn and the very next day I received the devastating news that would change our lives forever. Seven's kidneys had gone into complete failure and she would need to begin dialysis immediately.  


I rushed her to a children's hospital in Tulsa, OK and from there, she was flown to a hospital in OKC where she would be treated for stage 5 kidney failure. I was 7 months pregnant at the time and could not fly with her, so being the brave girl she is, she took that 30-minute helicopter ride alone. I followed behind, my sister driving as fast as she could to get me there. The craziest thoughts were going through my head...I had no idea what to expect or what kidney failure even meant. 


Seven went from being a completely healthy girl, not having a single medical problem, to having a life-threatening disease and being in critical condition. It didn't make sense because she seemed fine; she was smiling, eating, being her normal funny self. 


After getting to the hospital, it was non-stop tests, pokes, blood draws, CAT scans, MRIs, a biopsy, and a hemodialysis catheter placed in her neck...she began dialysis the next morning to allow time for the catheter to settle. It was rigorous and vicious, causing her to vomit and to become anemic. I remember the doctor saying how surprised he was that Seven wasn't in a coma due to the build up of toxins. Seven was required to do dialysis for several days in a row for several hours to get the toxins in her blood down to a safe level. That's how unbeknowingly close to death she was. The biopsy results were indicative of Lupus and Vasculitis, which are both potentially fatal autoimmune diseases that attack bones, joints, organs, blood vessels, eyes, and skin. This is what the doctors are saying caused the kidney failure. 


Moving forward, Seven developed several complications:
Severe hypertension
PRES ( 3 episodes, caused by hypertension, caused swelling in frontal and occipital lobes)
Complete vision loss(due to swelling in her brain)
Pulmonary hemorrhage 
Heart failure
Deep vein thrombosis 
Pancreatitis
Abcesses on stomach and pancreas 


In December of 2020, Seven underwent bilateral nephrecomy (removal of both kidneys) due to uncontrollable high blood pressure, for a total of 8 surgeries in under a year. She's been in the hospital 9 times, spending her 9th birthday and New Year's in the PICU. She's under strict dietary and fluid restrictions so that she does not become fluid overloaded, and to make sure she's not eating too much phosphorus, potassium, or sodium. 


Because of the medications she's taking, her appearance has changed drastically,  her self-esteem has diminished, she is smaller in size and underweight for a child her age. She has been treated for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. My poor girl has gone through the unimaginable. Her life has changed and will never be the same, BUT life WILL go on. This is why we NEED your help! 


My baby girl is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. This surgery is quite expensive but it will SAVE HER LIFE! It will give her a second chance at living the life she once knew. I am currently unable to work so that I can care for Seven, and prepare to donate one of my kidneys to her.


On average, post transplant care for a kidney is around $28,000-$30,000 a year. The money raised will ensure her medical expenses are covered during the most crucial period post transplant.