Over the past twelve years, my son Elias has faced an incredible and challenging journey just to stay healthy. Before he was born, he was diagnosed with hydronephrosis, which was caused by bilateral UVJ obstruction — an unfortunate condition where both of his kidneys are enlarged and not functioning properly because of the obstruction that was formed in utero. He had surgery the day he was born to place nephrostomy tubes to help release the urine that was backed up.

Throughout the years, Elias has had many hospital stays due to the many infections he suffered. Elias has had multiple surgeries to help alleviate his kidneys from getting worse. With struggling to keep his kidneys healthy, Elias's bladder has also shown a decrease over the years, which has caused him to catheterize daily to release the urine he can't. Unfortunately, Elias will need to catheterize for the rest of his life.

Despite the many surgeries and preventative treatments, his kidneys are slowly deteriorating. We recently received news that his kidneys are not doing too great and will be needing a kidney transplant sooner rather than later. His current labs show he is stable; however, doctors have stated we should start the evaluation process for the kidney transplant list, so that we are ready when that time comes.

A little about Elias: Elias is a smart, loving and caring boy. His favorite animal is a penguin. He is a very gentile soul who joined "Be a Buddy Club" in school , which helps other kids in school that are autistic. He enjoys riding his bike with his cool shades on. He also likes swimming and going for adventures. He loves to play video games with his younger brother.

We hoped not to be in this position, but we are holding onto hope, love, and the kindness of those around us. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of our journey toward Elias's healing and our family’s future.