Rylan's Path to Transplant

We are a family of four from Saint Peter, MN. Kayla and Brad are proud parents of Yuri (8 years old) and Rylan (4 years old). Due to Rylan's recently diagnosed end stage kidney disease (explained in detail below), we are raising funds to help us meet the financial demands of caring for a chronically ill child with very specific and intense needs that often can only be met at Mayo in Rochester.

Rylan's story: It all started when Rylan was still 3 years old on April 1st, 2024, with facial puffiness. Kayla took Rylan to the doctor and was told it was most likely allergies and should go away within 10 days with antihistamines. However, on April 10th, we noticed he also had swollen legs and a distended belly. After spending most of the day at the ER in Mankato, Kayla had to take him to Saint Mary's Hospital in Rochester. He was admitted to Saint Mary's Children's Hospital that night and a few days later was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), which is a rare, chronic kidney disease.

Rylan spent the next 2 months as an inpatient at Saint Mary's due to many complications and not responding to treatment. After discharge in June, he had to have albumin infusions 3-5 days a week, which can only be done in Rochester. Thus, we rented a two-bedroom apartment in Rochester to accommodate his demanding infusion and treatment schedule. We were hoping that he would respond to treatment by September, go into remission, and resume a relatively normal life.

Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Brad and Rylan began living at the apartment starting mid-August while Kayla and Yuri live in their house in Saint Peter. We are all together on the weekends. This arrangement is less than ideal and has taken a toll on all of us emotionally, physically, and financially. Rylan had to be admitted to the hospital multiple times in the fall due to more complications. By December, Rylan was still not showing any signs of remission.

On December 20th, Rylan was admitted to Saint Mary's again due to abnormally high levels of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Three days later, he had another kidney biopsy and a dialysis catheter inserted. We found out on December 25th that his kidneys are beyond repair. The doctors discovered that his FSGS is very aggressive and all of his glomeruli are now collapsed. He started dialysis immediately and is now on it three days a week. It has been tough on him, but he's feeling better.

The next step in his treatment is to have a kidney transplant.

As a family, we are still separated and struggling with the reality of our situation, but we march on.