<div>Tayler and Billy Ransome never imagined that the 20-week ultrasound for their first child would be anything but normal. Instead, they learned their baby had a rare condition called posterior urethral valves (PUV), a blockage in the urethra that can cause childhood kidney disease even before birth.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Bio:
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Tayler and Billy weren't expecting to learn about complications. They were hours into a road trip when the results of the ultrasound came in.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"It mentioned a keyhole bladder shape and PUV," Tayler said. "It felt like looking at another language. We had to Google it."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A keyhole bladder is a sign of PUV, a rare condition that only happens in individuals assigned male at birth. Tissue blocks the urethra, the small tube that carries urine out of the body. The blockage prevents the bladder from emptying properly. This, in turn, causes the bladder and urethra to swell into a keyhole shape.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"Babies normally pee into the amniotic sac. That urine becomes amniotic fluid,” said Tayler. "This blockage could stop him from urinating as much as he needed.”
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The rest of the pregnancy became a waiting game. Doctors monitored fluid levels often. If the amniotic fluid dropped too low, delivery would need to happen right away.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"I delivered Sullivan (Sully) Ransome at 34 weeks in December 2022," Tayler said. "That's still early, but many babies with this condition come even sooner."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The Ransomes' biggest concern for Sully was whether his lungs would work on their own. Babies with PUV often struggle because low amniotic fluid can keep lungs from developing fully.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"We were so thankful he could breathe right away," Tayler said. "That was a miracle."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>But the relief didn't last long. Testing showed his kidneys were already failing.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"They told us he was in kidney failure," said Tayler. "He didn't need dialysis that day, but it was coming. We learned about the home dialysis options as we waited."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sully spent the next 30 days in the hospital before going home. His parents maintained his kidney function for nine months with medications before he had to start dialysis.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sully’s parents chose peritoneal dialysis, a type of dialysis done at home using a machine that cleans the blood through the lining of the belly.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"It was 10 hours every single night," said Tayler. "We thought he'd sleep through treatment, but he pulled on his tubes frequently. The machine's beeping woke all of us up frequently."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sully needed to grow and pass a heart, lung, artery, and vein test before he could receive a kidney transplant. While they waited, Sully's parents began the living donor evaluation.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Unfortunately, they were both ruled out to donate.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"He was listed for a deceased transplant in January 2025," said Tayler. "He got almost 500 days of dialysis backdated on his record."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thankfully, the Ransomes didn't have to wait much longer and Sully received a new kidney a few weeks later.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"The surgery went perfectly," said Tayler. "They predicted he'd be down for five days, but Sully tried to sit up the next morning."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>After 2½ days in the ICU and a week in a step-down unit, Sully went home.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"It was overwhelming to know our miracle came from another family's loss," Billy said. "But we are so grateful for their gift and will live every day to the fullest to pay it back. We watched him blossom. His energy soared. He looks healthier, and he's growing taller."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Once quarantine ended, Sully could finally do things that were off-limits on dialysis, like playing in sprinklers, taking baths, and traveling.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"He's like a new toddler. He inspires us every day," Billy said. "He's been through more than most adults ever will, and yet he's the happiest kid we know."
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Now, the Ransomes are sharing their story on social media to give hope to other parents.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>"The journey is full of ups and downs, but there can be a good ending for your child," Tayler said. "Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on, and don't be afraid to connect with other families."
</div>

The Ransome Family: Kidney Hero of The Year Nominee

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Enter your donation for The Ransome Family: Kidney Hero of The Year Nominee