Kidney Transplant: Stay Positive

Meet Jack 

Then and Now: Inside Jack’s Transplant Journey

In 2019, Inside Pediatrics featured Jack, a toddler whose kidneys were failing. Today, he’s a wide receiver on his flag football team and loves to ham it up in front of the camera. A kidney transplant at Children’s Mercy Kansas City (and a very special gift from his dad) made his recovery possible.

“I clearly remember Jack at just over 1 year of age,” said Bradley Warady, MD, Director of Pediatric Nephrology, who keeps a photo of himself and Jack on his office bookshelf. “He was suffering from developmental delay and significant failure to thrive with a weight of only seven kilograms [15.4 pounds], all as a result of undiagnosed kidney failure.”

Jack’s mom, Jennifer Sauer, and dad, Geoff Robinson, learned how to perform peritoneal dialysis for Jack at home as they prepared for a kidney transplant. As it turned out, the ideal donor was closer than they expected: Geoff was able to donate one of his kidneys to his son.

Two surgeries, one family

Jack doesn’t remember much about his transplant, but Jennifer said she was nervous to transition from the by-the-book dialysis process they did for a year to the unknowns of a transplant. “Our transplant coordinators were really key to helping us feel comfortable,” said Jennifer.

Geoff’s kidney removal was the first surgery he ever experienced. “Since I really had no expectations, I didn't think it was too bad,” he said, although it took him a couple weeks to recover fully — around the same amount of time Jack was in the hospital after the transplant.

“I remember Dr. Warady saying, while we were still in the PICU, ‘Just wait until you see how quickly this kid turns around,’” said Jennifer. “And that very next day, when we moved out of the PICU, Jack was able to eat. He just took off.”

Finding a new rhythm

The year after Jack’s transplant was one of adjustment, as they fine-tuned his post-transplant medications, protected his suppressed immune system and tried to find their new rhythm as a family. Jennifer said it took about six months to regain a sense of normalcy.

As an 8-year-old, Jack needs to hydrate more than other kids his age because he has an adult-sized kidney, but his body has accepted Geoff’s donation well. Jack only had one mild rejection episode (treated successfully with Prednisone) just before his little sister, Eva, was born three years ago.

Jack had his port (a device placed under the skin and used to draw blood and give treatment) removed this past fall, but still has a G-tube for liquid medications. He’s working toward being able to take all of his doses in pill form. “He takes pills better than I do,” said Geoff. Jack reported there’s no secret to it, just lots of water! Jennifer said playing music and post-med snacks help, too.

Check-ups and cake: Life after transplant

Jack recently started hormone injections because his growth plateaued. He has monthly labs to ensure his kidney is functioning well, and he checks in with Dr. Warady quarterly. The family shared that having Children's Mercy on call has been helpful as they eased into the long-term routines of post-transplant life.

“He is now a healthy young boy who goes to school and takes his medication every day to keep that kidney his Dad gave him healthy,” said Dr. Warady. “This is exactly the outcome we aim to achieve for all of our transplant recipients and their families.”
Jack’s family celebrates his kidney-versary with yard signs and cake every August. Jennifer said they are glad they agreed to be followed for Inside Pediatrics because it helps them remember what that stressful era was like. “It’s a blur,” said Jennifer. “We don’t have any real concept of certain things we did or how hard it was.”

But one thing remains crystal-clear: “Trust the doctors, the nurses, everyone involved — they know what they’re talking about, and they’re going to get you through it,” Geoff advised other families going through transplants. Jennifer said she found comfort by talking to other parents in online support forums, too.

But Jack’s advice for fellow kidney transplant patients might be the best of all: “Stay positive!”