Jeremy Raper

Good evening, everyone. Here’s an update on Heather. When I got up this morning around 5:30 and helped her to the restroom, she still had blood in her urine, and it was a little worse. My dad came and picked her up around noon to take her to her appointment with the neurologist. Afterward, Heather messaged her doctor to ask what she should do. However, Heather, my dad, and I agreed that we might as well take her to the ER at Andretti because the bleeding continued to get worse throughout the day. I got off work about two hours ago and was able to run a couple of errands. I just got home, and I’m about to take a shower, pack a bag, and head up there. I’ll keep y’all updated.

Good morning, everyone. I wanted to give an update on Heather. Heather is doing okay, but she is still struggling and remains extremely weak. Her kidney function is still very low, with her GFR at only 8%. She has also been sleeping a lot and has been running small fevers off and on. Some days are definitely harder than others, and she still has a long road ahead of her. On September 28, we will meet with the transplant team for what is supposed to be an all-day appointment. We will be meeting with the doctors and transplant team to get more information and hopefully continue moving forward with the transplant process. If you are interested in becoming a potential living kidney donor for Heather, we are incredibly grateful for your willingness to help. We were told that potential donors can register and get information here: https://www.mykidneydiseaseteam.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=kdt_acq_uni_no-drug_no-client_no-top_no-tra_search-comp_2026&utm_content=202809595144&utm_term=kidney%20foundation&gad_source=1 On September 29, Heather is scheduled for another surgery to have a port placed for dialysis. We continue to take everything one day at a time and appreciate everyone who has prayed for us, checked on us, shared Heather’s story, or helped us during this difficult time. Your support means more to us than we can put into words. We also have a GoFundMe to help with the financial burden of Heather’s medical care, appointments, travel, and everything that comes along with this journey. If you are able to donate, we are extremely grateful. If you cannot donate, simply sharing the link and Heather’s story can help tremendously. Please continue to keep Heather in your prayers, and please share her story. We are still holding onto hope that we can find the kidney donor Heather needs. ❤️ Thank you all so much for continuing to support Heather and our family.

Update on Heather: We are finally heading home. We had to go back Emory Her kidney function is still extremely low, with her GFR currently at 8% and her creatinine at 6.25. Thankfully, her electrolytes are stable right now, so the doctors do not feel she needs emergency dialysis at this time. We will continue monitoring her very closely. She has several doctor’s appointments scheduled this week, and we are hopeful they will give us a clearer understanding of the next steps for her kidney function and treatment. For now, we are both looking forward to getting home, getting some much needed rest, and sleeping in our own bed. Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for us, check in on us, and support us through all of this. It truly means more than you know.

Good evening , everyone. Here is an update on Heather. We got home yesterday around 7:30 p.m. Her new baseline kidney function is 9% GFR. Due to her kidney function being in the single digits, she will be tired constantly and will likely sleep a lot more. She was very happy to finally be back home last night. She still has a very long road ahead of her. We have a lot of doctor appointments next week and the following week to start the process of getting her on the kidney transplant list, so people can begin getting tested to see if they are a match. Emory is also trying to get her an earlier appointment than the one currently scheduled for September 8. I can definitely say that we are both extremely happy to be home. After everything we have been through the emotional roller coaster, the emergency surgery, and facing the possibility that I could lose my wife it has all been extremely overwhelming. The amount of people who have reached out to check on Heather, check on me, pray for us, and support us has meant more than I can put into words. Thank y’all so much. It truly means a lot to both of us. We still have a long road ahead, but we are thankful to finally be home together.

Good morning, everyone. Here is an update on Heather. She had an okay night. Her GFR this morning is still at 10. Her red blood cells are still low at 2.83. Her white blood cells are still high at 10.3, but thankfully, they are coming down. Her hemoglobin dropped again and is now at 8.1, and her creatinine remains high at 5.24. Heather says she feels a little better this morning and is thankful that she is not in as much pain. We still have physical therapy and occupational therapy again today. If her numbers improve a little more and everything remains stable, there is a possibility that we could go home Wednesday or Thursday. Right now, the doctors are continuing to keep a very close eye on her remaining kidney and her kidney function.

 Heather is out of emergency surgery and is currently in recovery, waiting for a room upstairs. Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for her, checking on us, and keeping her in your thoughts. She still has a very long road ahead of her. Her remaining kidney is currently functioning at only 9%, so we know there are still many challenges ahead. For right now, we are thankful that she made it through surgery and is in recovery. Please continue to keep Heather in your prayers as she begins this next part of her recovery. I will continue to update everyone as I learn more.