A New Jersey family is desperately searching. living donor The mission was to save Thaddeus Giansanti, a second-year middle school student who was born with kidney disease.
Thaddeus has undergone multiple surgeries throughout his life. 13 yearsThis includes those whose kidneys were removed when they were babies.
Despite his struggles, he remained positive and optimistic, his parents told Fox News Digital.
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“His remaining kidneys are currently failing,” said his father, Carlo Giansanti. “We are not rivals, so we are now asking the community to help us.”
The family first learned about Thaddeus’ kidney disease before he was born. ultrasound A potential problem has been detected.
“There was nothing to worry about at that point. It looked like he had extra fluid when he was born,” Thaddeus’ mother, Krista DeMark, told Fox News Digital. “Everything seemed normal, but just before we left, they noticed an elevated creatinine level (a measure of kidney function in a blood test), which led to us referring to a nephrologist.”
“There was a problem with the formation of the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and kidneys.”
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Thaddeus spent a long time in the NICU, where he underwent multiple procedures. When he was less than 5 months old, he underwent the following tests: left nephrectomy to remove the left kidney.
His remaining kidney was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and required treatment. lifelong medicine.
“He’s been in nephrology and nephrology all his life, and everything was stable until last year, but things are slowly changing,” DeMark said. “He’s getting bigger and putting more stress on his remaining kidney.”
The doctor told the family that the best course of action was to find out: living donor.
“Everything has sped up recently based on his blood work,” DeMark said. “It looks like we need something sooner than we thought. That’s why we’re looking for a living donor.”
If Thaddeus does not receive a kidney transplant within the next few weeks, undergo dialysisaccording to the doctor.
“It was obviously difficult for him,” DeMark said. “He’s coping well, but it’s a difficult situation for us to overcome.”
Thaddeus is a smart, outgoing boy, his parents said, and a straight-A student who recently won multiple scholarships for next year, when he will be a freshman in high school.
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Thaddeus is very athletic and enjoys soccer, golf, and fencing. He also plays the piano and does volunteer work in the community, including serving as an altar server and working at a local food pantry.
“He loves his family and loves doing things with his family,” DeMark said. “He’s just a great kid.”
Thaddeus’ parents said they have not shared much about their son’s condition. “We kept that to a minimum over the years because we wanted Thad to be the bright, happy person he is,” DeMark said.
But as their son’s condition became more serious in recent weeks, they began speaking out about their situation.
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“We didn’t expect so many people to care and try to help. It’s very humbling,” DeMark said.
“It’s inspired us to lean on our faith in a very tangible way. We’re coming together as a family and just taking each day as it comes,” she continued. “We remain hopeful because we know there is a solution to this problem. We just need help.”
To be eligible for this donation program, kidney donors must be 45 years of age or younger, have a BMI of less than 30, and match Thaddeus blood type O.
For those considering becoming a donor, Demark emphasized that laparoscopic surgery involves a “fairly fast” healing process, but will be covered by the donor’s insurance, not the donor’s.
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“The miracle Thad needs right now is people with the ability to step up,” she added. “He’s a great kid, a sweet kid.”
If you are interested in being considered as a donor, please complete this Kidney transplant living donor questionnaire.
