Baby Needs Life-Saving Transplant

Baby Needs Life-Saving Transplant
By George Mallet

MENOMONEE FALLS - At a glance, Parker Scaife looks much like any other 11-month-old baby.

He might be a little pale, but his eyes are bright as he kicks and squirms on his bedroom floor with unbridled enthusiasm. Still, Parker has endured an awful lot in his young life.

"When Lindsay (Parker's mother) was twenty eight weeks pregnant, we found out that Parker's kidneys weren't functioning at all," said Dustin Scaife of his baby boy.

Parker was born with end stage renal failure. He now endures 12 hours of peritoneal dialysis each night. His tiny abdomen is layered in tubes and stents.

"He has been in the operating room ten times since he was born," Dustin said. "He's been admitted to the hospital six other times outside of that since he was born. He's had a pretty rough eleven months."

Lindsay Scaife, Parker's mother, says the family meets the challenges one day at a time.

"It's more than any of us have ever gone through," she said as she bounced her baby boy on one hip. "He's a miracle. And, he's with us and we're so proud and blessed to have him here."

If all goes well, Lindsay will donate one of her kidneys to Parker as soon as he is big enough to accept the organ. That could be as soon as three months. The operation could cost half a million dollars over the next year. Not all of that will be covered by the Scaife's medical insurance.

"He's 11-months-old and he's almost to his lifetime max for our insurance," said Dustin.

The Scaifes are now getting guidance from The Children's Organ Transplant Association.

A Web site has been set up to help raise funds for Parker's transplant. That web address is www.cotaforparkers.com.

Donations can also be made in person at any Wells Fargo Bank. The account number is 6733374547.

Donations can also be mailed to the Children's Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. Checks or money orders should be made payable to COTA with "In Honor of Parker S" written on the memo line.

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