A kidney donor has come forward to help Addison Behrndt, a five-year-old Sudbury girl who has Sensenbrenner Syndrome, an extremely rare disease that has affected her organs.
Addison's grandmother, Andrea Behrndt, said if everything goes smoothly, the transplant could happen as early as March.
Unfortunately, Addison's health has taken a turn for the worst and she needs to undergo surgery earlier than expected.
"We need Addi to be in tip-top shape going into transplant and her kidneys will not allow this to happen," her grandmother Andrea Behrndt said. "Her kidneys are shutting down quickly and her blood pressure is rising."
Worried that Addison's kidneys won't make it until the transplant date, Andrea said the nephrology team at Sick Kids in Toronto want to start dialysis as soon as possible and remove both of Addison's kidneys at the same time.
The family travelled to Sick Kids Hospital on Jan. 24, where they are currently monitoring Addison's blood pressure. She is expected to start dialysis this Friday and her kidney removal is scheduled for Feb. 8, possibly sooner.
Addison and her mom, Emma, will stay in Toronto until she is able to receive the kidney transplant and they will have to stay close to the hospital for an additional six months, at least, for recovery.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set-up to help the family with expenses.
“Addi is doing OK under the circumstances and is still cheery and stealing the hearts of all the nurses with her silly self, " Andrea said.
"This was all very sudden and all very overwhelming so please keep our girl and our donor in your thoughts and prayers."
Sudbury.com had the pleasure of meeting Addison when we surprised her family with an act of kindness from BESTECH this past December. She is a tough little girl with a big personality and is so full of life, as you will see in the video below.
You can follow Addison's journey by following Army for Addison on Facebook.
