In June of 2024, our 17 year old son, Jonas, became very sick and was admitted to OU Children's hospital with shiga toxin producing E.coli 0157:H7. The lining of his stomach was greatly injured causing terrible pain and bloody diarrhea and vomiting which led to extreme dehydration. The shiga toxins also caused another dangerous condition called HUS (Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome) which attacked and destroyed his red blood cells, thus severely damaging his kidneys. The first two weeks were perilous and included time in the PICU and an emergency surgery to place an HD catheter so he could begin dialysis. He underwent a blood transfusion, several CT scans and ultrasounds. He was exhausted from nonstop trips to the bathroom, excruciating and unmanageable pain, and minimal sleep. He was on many iv medications to manage all the destruction being done to his body and to unsuccessfully attempt to manage his pain. There are much fewer options for pain management when your kidneys are failing and your intestines are thrashed. It was such a difficult time. Altogether, Jonas spent 23 days in the hospital. Before release he underwent another surgery to place a permanent HD catheter and we went home. When we were released from the hospital mid-July, the doctors were hopeful he would only remain on dialysis a couple more weeks and then his kidneys would wake up. However, this has not happened. Jonas was diagnosed with acute renal failure in June and then chronic renal failure in September and has been undergoing hemodialysis treatments 2 to 3 times per week since June to keep him alive. He also had another emergency surgery in October to place a new HD catheter when his unexpectedly decided to leave his chest.

Once Jonas was given the chronic diagnosis, we met with the transplant team at OU and began the process of getting Jonas approved for the kidney donation list. We’ve met with multiple specialists over the last few months who’ve performed various tests, scans, labs, etc., trying to check all the boxes to verify Jonas is healthy enough to receive a kidney donation. In late January, the medical review board met and approved Jonas to be placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing waitlist. He is now listed as active and could receive a kidney at any time.

While Jonas was going through his own work-up, Abbie simultaneously went through the difficult approval process to become a living donor. She has been approved and she and Jonas are scheduled to have surgery on April 7!

Jonas's cost of care is currently over half of a million dollars and we are nowhere near the end of this. We have a maximum out-of-pocket with our insurance which is a huge blessing, but it is still much more then we have. We'll max it out again this year with dialysis and, God willing, a kidney transplant and all that comes with the recovery of that. Since Abbie is his donor, she will have to miss multiple weeks of work resulting in substantially less income. Abbie exhausted her PTO in the Fall semester going to different appointments for Jonas and herself. Our campaign goal is based on being able to pay medical expenses from 2024 and 2025 and help ease the financial hardship of providing for our family of 7 on a significantly smaller income.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, acts of kindness, and words of love and support throughout this journey. We are so grateful to not be walking this path alone.

Much Love,

Jody and Abbie Wickersham