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Ashley’s sweet laughter hides the pain that she went
through years ago. At the age of 3, her kidneys began to fail.
She was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS),
a disease that affects kidney function by attacking the glomeruli,
the tiny units within the kidney where blood is cleaned. She was
given dialysis treatments three days a week at Texas Children’s
Hospital. Eventually, Ashley would need a kidney transplant.
“It was difficult watching my baby go through dialysis,” said
Claudia, Ashley’s mother. “I didn’t know what was
happening to her body. It was very painful for her, especially
toward the end of the sessions. Her lips would chap and her eyes
would sink in.”
Dr. Stuart Goldstein of the
Renal Dialysis Unit at Texas
Children’s said that technology has helped to make treatments
smoother for patients. Parents can actually see what is happening
to their children with a graphical interface.
“Once Ashley’s mother realized that taking the fluid off her blood
wasn’t what was causing her pain, the nurses, physicians and
Ashley’s mother became collaborators in Ashley’s treatment,” said
Dr. Goldstein.
After being on the transplant list for nearly 2 years, Ashley
finally received her new kidney. Complications arose and the
disease did not go away.
“Ashley had a recurrence of FSGS within 24 hours after
transplantation even though we had kept her on dialysis for
several years to see if the disease would burn itself out,” said
Dr. Eileen D. Brewer, chief of Renal Services at Texas Children’s.
To combat this reoccurrence Ashley underwent another type of
treatment called pheresis.
“This treatment is similar to dialysis in that you have to process
blood, but in pheresis the blood components are separated and
we’re able to take out the factor that can cause this disease to
recur in the kidney,” said Dr. Goldstein. “Ashley responded well
to this treatment and six months later, she was disease free.”
Today, Ashley is a happy, healthy 10-year-old who enjoys reading
books, playing with her friends and living life to its fullest.
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