Better Kidneys for Braston Eli

This is Braston Eli. Braston is an almost 2 year old little boy who enjoys playing with his Legos, running around with his dog, & cheering on his favorite team, the San Antonio Spurs. With his contagious smile and constant energy, you would never guess that on the inside he was facing such an unpleasant illness...

When I was just 18 weeks pregnant, we were told that Braston has hydronephrosis and from then on out, we would continue to see a specialist. I delivered a beautiful 7lb ginger in April of 2014. Two months after Braston was born we went in to have a VCUG in which he's given a catheter to see if there is a reflux of urine from his bladder back into his kidneys. We got the results back from the test that same day to find out there was no reflux and he was fine.

Fast forward 1 year and 2 months later.

Being that Braston was in daycare, he got sick quite often and this time I decided to take him to the doctor. While there at the clinic, they took his blood pressure and with each reading we got, they were all over 140/80. After that appointment, they had Braston admitted right away. While in the hospital, it was never clear as to why his blood pressure was so high but I had a small feeling it was his kidneys. After setting up an appointment with his nephrologist to have a series of tests ran (an ultrasound & MAG3) the results of the tests concluded that Braston had severe hydronephrosis and a possible ureteropelvic junction obstruction. In laymans terms, he essentially has two clamps on both of his ureters which results in his dilated kidneys and not being able to fully void.

After finding out he had the ureteropelvic junction obstruction, we were then referred to a urologist who was going to do the surgery. After setting up an appointment and waiting one month to see the urologist, the day before I received a call from their office. They didn't accept our insurance and we were back at square one with a month now wasted. Braston's dad and I spent a week calling doctors all over the state of Texas and still nothing. All roads were leading to this one doctor to perform his surgery. He was essentially our only option when it came to pediatric urgology AND that would take his case. I called to setup the first appointment which wasn't for another month away. Once the appointment day came we met Braston's new doctor and he advised us to have the ultrasound and MAG3 done over again...the test we had already paid for 3 months prior were now a waste. So again, we waited ANOTHER month to have more tests ran. A month later, we got up early and put our son through more grueling pain. We saw the doctor right after the tests and again he confirmed it; bilateral ureteropelvic junction. The only way to fix it was through surgery, not just one surgery, but two. Fixing both kidneys aret the same time would be too risky, so it would have to be two separate surgeries that requires a stent, a drain, and a minimum of two nights in the hospital and three weeks out of school. The first surgery is set for February 24th and the second surgery is 6 weeks later on March 30th.

These surgeries are a must. Without them, Braston could go into kidney failure and start dialysis by the time he starts junior high. If we fix this now, that may not have to happen. It's not guaranteed that he won't have major kidney damage, but at least the surgeries will prevent them from getting worse. 

Althought the goal we are asking for isn't anywhere near what this will cost, the funds will go towards all of his medical expenses and things directly affected to his stays in the hospital. Anything helps, even your positive thoughts and prayers for our sweet son Braston are always encouraged.