Mum's miracle bubDAVID KILLICK
The Mercury
July 23, 2007 12:00am
EVERY baby is someone's little miracle, but for little Madison McCulloch it is especially true.
Celebrating her first birthday today, Madison is one of the few babies born to a kidney dialysis patient.
Mum Kylie's kidneys have failed because of diabetes and she requires five hours of dialysis every second day.
Celebrating her baby's milestone with family, friends and nurses at Risdon Vale yesterday, Kylie McCulloch said she was told the treatment would stop her from having a baby.
"It was the last thing on my mind when I started dialysis," she said.
When she fell pregnant, Mrs McCulloch said she was naturally concerned that her daughter would be healthy.
"I was worried there would be something terribly wrong with her but she's perfect -- perfect in every way."
Mrs McCulloch, who is on the waiting list for a kidney and pancreas transplant, said the last year had been joyful but also difficult as she juggled motherhood with dialysis.
"My best friend died on Tuesday, she was a dialysis patient, she was 58," she said.
"It all comes back to organ donation.
"If you're going to die, you're not going to need them. We will so look after them."
Royal Hobart Hospital director of nephrology Geoff Kirkland said Mrs McCulloch's pregnancy was very unusual.
"The chance of a dialysis patient (becoming pregnant) is about one in a thousand, and the change of them carrying that pregnancy through is about 50 per cent," he said.
"Coupled with her diabetes, that again makes it very unusual for her to get pregnant.
"If you put it all together, it's a very rare occurrence," Dr Kirkland said.
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22118019-5007221,00.html
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