It has been almost a year since I last updated, and a lot has changed. We  were blessed to add 2 more members to our family. Twin girls born in March 2024! Selah is so excited to have 2 new baby sisters to love and care for!

I am writing to share an update on Selah's health, and to ask for your support and help. As you know, Selah was born with a kidney and liver disease. (Please see the previous post to learn more about it.) At this point, her disease has progressed, and she will either have to start dialysis treatments and/or get a kidney transplant very soon. Dialysis treats the kidney disease by cleaning the blood. Selah would have to go to the dialysis center for about 4 hours, three times a week for these treatments. Dialysis can be really hard on people physically and emotionally.

The preferred option for treatment would be a kidney transplant.  A kidney transplant can come from a deceased donor or from a healthy living donor. Selah has already been added to the deceased donor list as of March 2024. Selah's doctors at UW Health insist that a kidney transplant from a living donor is the best option for her health.

Previously, we were excited to announce that Josh, Selah's dad, is a blood match for Selah, however; after some evaluation, he may not be the best living donor option for her.  At this point we need to expand our search for a living donor.

A living donor can be a family member, friend or anyone who is healthy and volunteers to donate. They do not have to be the same blood type. A transplant from a living donor can last twice as long and the transplant can happen sooner. This would allow Selah to bypass dialysis and she could get back to her normal 9 year old activities much faster.  

I hope that you will consider being a living kidney donor for Selah and/or share this link to spread the word.