Youngster battles kidney condition

[okarol]

March 19, 2008
Youngster battles kidney condition

By Sheila Burdick
as told to Teri Greene

When we discovered we were expecting, we were as excited as any young couple would be. At 20 weeks, we knew we would be bless­ed with a little boy whose name would be Caden Robert Burdick.

The trouble began 28 weeks into the pregnancy.

One Friday morning, I woke up knowing something was wrong. I didn't wait for an appointment. I went straight to the doctor and told them that I really believed something was not right.

I wasn't due for another ultra­sound, but the nurse decided to do one to give me peace of mind.

It revealed that Caden's kid­neys and bladder were enlarged. From that point on, my pregnancy was a whirlwind of doctors, ultra­sound and stress tests every week to make sure Caden was doing OK in the womb. We met with doctors in Montgomery and specialists in Birmingham, who explained that Caden could have one of five block­ages, but that could only be known when he was born.

You can imagine the shock when the doctors mentioned that our little boy might need a kidney transplant, but they would not know for sure until extensive tests could be done when he arrived. At 34 weeks, the doctors decided to do an amnio test to make sure that nothing else would be genetically wrong with Caden. The doctors were unsuccessful in getting the necessary amnio fluid, and after three failed attempts, they put me in the hospital to closely monitor me and Caden.

It seemed like every day brought new decisions to be made like deciding whether to deliver in Birmingham or Montgomery. From those consultations, it was decided it would be best for Caden to be born in Montgomery because the doctor thought his problem was not severe and there would be plenty of time to go to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

At 36 weeks, my blood pressure was not stable and I was starting to swell, which would create stress for our child. So labor was induced and Caden Robert Burdick came into the world on Dec. 29, 2006, at 11:36 p.m. Of course, he was the most precious child that we had ever laid eyes on.

The morning after he was born, tests were run to determine the blockage and the severity. The test results came back more severe than anticipated, so we went by ambulance to Children's Hospital in Birmingham when Caden was just two days old.

Upon arrival, he was immedi­ately put into ICU, where a cathe­ter was inserted to drain his blad­der and the fluid out of his system. The problem was a blockage where his bladder and his urethral tube meet -- called posterior urethral valve blockage -- the worst scenar­io possible.

Caden's bladder was backed up, urination was impossible, causing his bladder to become enlarged. This affected his urethra tubes and kidneys, causing permanent dam­age to his bladder and kidneys. An added problem was reflux in one of his urethra tubes, making an in­fection possible to his kidneys.

At one week old, Caden under­went surgery to remove the block­age. The blockage was a flap of skin that did not absorb normally while his body was forming. The doctors told us that his problem was "severe," and that it was pos­sible that he would have to under­go a kidney transplant somewhere around his first birthday, and even be on dialysis before that.

The official name of his condi­tion is chronic renal insufficiency. For my husband and me, it was a nightmare. We felt that all hope was going down the drain and we almost shut down physically and emotionally. Our thought was that no parent should have to go through such trials when their child is just days old.

The entire process, from the first appointment when we knew something was wrong, many peo­ple started praying for our son. Ca­den, Quint and I were covered in prayer. People were praying for us from all over the world, from China to Brazil, and all over the U.S.A. We have a strong Christian background, and we totally believe in miracles. However, sometimes it's easier to believe in a miracle for someone else than for yourself. The reality is that faith is the key that unlocks the door and opens up your total spirit to the power of God. We knew God created Caden and we will trust Him to heal him.

The name Caden means "fight­er." Our son has been a little fight­er throughout this whole process. After the hospital, with Caden doing much better, he has contin­ued to improve every day. Every appointment brought good news of improvement.

At first, we were going every two weeks, then every four weeks, and now we go every three months for check-ups because he is doing so great.

But his disease is far from gone. He has only one kidney that func­tions; the other will wither away over time. The Bible says, "We are fearfully and wonderfully made," so much so that God made it so we could function with just one kid­ney. In the event that his good kid­ney fails to handle the filtering, then it is back to needing a trans­plant.

That is reality. But for now, his one kidney is functioning great. To God be the glory.

We as a family are honored and very proud that our miracle son Caden is an "Ambassador Child" for the National Kidney Founda­tion of Alabama Kidney Walk. Our prayer and hope is that through re­search we will be walking toward a cure for diseases such as this.

Alabama has one of the highest rates of kidney disease in the Unit­ed States. The number of people with disease is more than twice the national average. With your help, we can make a difference by raising awareness and funds to aid in research, education programs and organ donation.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080318/LIFESTYLE/803180313