Gavin is a 19 year old young man that was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome/FSGS at the age of 3.5 years. FSGS is an autoimmune disease for which there is no cure. Gavin's body can not filter protein properly which causes it to spill into his kidneys which causes scarring to the kidneys and ultimately kidney failure.
After many years of treatments, infusions, surgeries, dialysis and a kidney transplant in 2015, Gavin's transplant is now failing. He's in stage 5 kidney disease now and receiving Hemodialysis three times per week and soon he'll receive nightly Peritoneal Dialysis which will do at home. on January 1,2023 Gavin had active seizures due to extremely high blood pressure spikes. They continue to struggle to keep his blood pressure down even though he's on about 8 different medications just for blood pressure.
They are currently seeking a living kidney donor in hopes that Gavin can receive a second kidney transplant which will give him a healthier life and definitely a better quality of life.
They have decided to be evaluated at both UAB and Vanderbilt for their transplant programs. As of now, UAB has accepted Gavin as a candidate for kidney transplantation and they expect that Vanderbilt will as well.
They will be required to stay within 20 minutes of either transplanting hospital for at least 4 weeks. Potentially longer should Gavin need additional treatments or care post transplant. They do have medical insurance, but there will be some out of pocket cost for his transplant, lodging, travel, food and loss of income for Gavin and Melissa as she cares for Gavin.
From Melissa: "We'd greatly appreciate your prayers as we trust God and navigate through this journey with our son. God has never left us or forsaken us and we know He certainly won't now. He's always so faithful and we believe that all of our trials and tests will be our testimonies of God's grace and power."
Please help us to help this precious family with any unforeseen expenses during this stressful time. Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated and truly a blessing to them!
