Lexie’s Story
Lexie’s immune system remains suppressed to prevent rejection. This makes it difficult for her to fight off viruses. She misses 3 to 4 months of school each year due to illnesses. Our life remains a bit of a rollercoaster with the frequency and severity of some of her illnesses. We almost lost Lexie in February 2010 when she became very ill from a kidney infection and pneumonia. While Lexie is currently being maintained on only one immunosuppressant drug, we continue to walk a fine line between having the immunosuppression high enough to prevent rejection but low enough to where she can fight off viruses and infections.
Despite these challenges, Lexie’s new kidney is doing amazingly well. Transplants can last up to 15 years, sometimes longer, but her vulnerability to life threatening illnesses remains high. These experiences have drawn us to other families who have children battling terminal and life-threatening medical conditions. Some of these children have not survived. So, we thank God for every minute we have with Lexie, and we take time to celebrate all the milestones and the accomplishments that she has made along the way. We are forever amazed at the love, support, and kindness of family, friends, medical providers, and even complete strangers. It has been a very difficult road, but I am thankful that it is the road we chose all those years ago in the NICU, because no matter how long the road is, it is the one we get to share with Lexie.
I would like to give a special thanks to all our family and friends who have helped us travel this road, to our beloved donor family, and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who carried us in His loving arms through our darkest hours.
Surely you know. Surely you have heard. The Lord is the God who lives forever, who created all the world. He does not become tired or need to rest. No one can understand how great His wisdom is. He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall. But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired.
Isaiah 40:28-31
