Young teen hospitalized, still awaits kidney donor

Young teen hospitalized, still awaits kidney donor

12:00 AM CDT on Friday, September 24, 2010

By LEIGH MUNSIL / The Dallas Morning News
lmunsil@dallasnews.com

Thirteen-year-old Jun Choi has been living for nearly three months without any kidneys.

The Coppell Middle School West eighth-grader was hospitalized Wednesday after complications from nephrotic syndrome and kidney failure, which led to a painful rash on his arms and legs. Jun is being treated with antibiotics and also was put on dialysis for 24 hours in an attempt to clean out his system.

"He has really, really bad itching, probably one of the worst we've ever had," said Dr. Amy Becker, assistant professor of pediatric nephrology at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "We're trying to make it better for him, but it's something that is not going to go away until he gets a new kidney."

Jun was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, or kidney disease, at age 5 in South Korea. Both of his kidneys failed because of the disease, so doctors removed them June 27.

He is one of 33 children waiting for kidney transplants through Children's Medical Center of Dallas. The center's goal is to find the children a donor within six months, but some have been on the transplant list for more than a year, Becker said.

Jun won't get a transplant for another month at the least, because multiple tests will still need to be run on a matching donor. He will remain at Children's Medical Center for several more days to ensure the antibiotics work, Becker said.

Because he has no kidneys to filter his blood, Jun has been on a regimen of 10 hours of dialysis every night. When he returns home, Jun will start 12 hours of nightly dialysis until he gets a transplant.

Taylor's Gift Foundation, a Coppell-based nonprofit, has set up an e-mail address at kidney@taylorsgift.org for potential donors of all blood types who would like to donate a kidney to Jun or other children. The foundation, which raises awareness on organ donation, formed in honor of Coppell teenager Taylor Storch, who died in a skiing accident in March.

Until a donor match is found, Jun and his doctor are hoping he will be able to continue dialysis at night in his home. If his condition deteriorates, he will have to go to the hospital four days a week for three hours to undergo more intensive dialysis.

"It's just part of his life now; when he has to go in, he has to go in," said Nancy Yingling, strategic development director for Taylor's Gift. "He just takes it as it comes – he's not a 'woe is me' kind of kid."

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