Little girl who looked 8 months’ pregnant because of deadly disease is saved thanks to dad’s kidney donation
Every parents’ biggest wish is for their children to be healthy and experience a happy childhood.
When a couple, Karen Rodas and Paul Bybkin, welcomed their son Nathaniel into the world, their happiness only lasted for 36 hours because that’s how long the baby lived. He was born with a condition known as Polycistic Kidney Disease (PKD) which affects the kidneys and causes cysts to grow. Sadly, this often leads to kidney failure, and that’s exactly what happened to baby Nathaniel.
In 2013, the pair was blessed with a daughter, Maddy. Unfortunately, what these parents feared most happened. Maddy was born with the same condition as her late brother, and her mommy and daddy were heartbroken. The girl’s tummy was swollen so much that it looked like that of a 9-months pregnant woman.
This time, however, things took a turn for the better and Maddy was given a second chance for life all thanks to her daddy who gave her one of his kidneys.
Before this life-saving surgery took place, sweet Maddy spent most of her life in and out of the hospitals and would spend her days sleeping even up to 18 hours a day.
Doctors informed the family that the chances of Maddy being a normal kid depended on finding a suitable donor.
As luck would have it, daddy was a match!
“With Paul and Maddy, two of my most precious souls, going under the knife, my nerves were a wreck,” Karen said, according to The Mirror.
The surgery was a complete success and both Maddy and Paul recovered perfectly.
“Daddy’s kidney has saved our little girl,” Karen added. “Now, she has boundless energy. Her massive tummy now just looks a little bit rounded and she is a happy and healthy two-year-old.”
Paul, on the other hand, believes he only did what every father would do for their kid.
“We have been on a rollercoaster – but any father would have done what I did, donating my kidney to Maddy. It’s part of being a parent,” he said, according to The Mirror.
“Now we are on a high and can watch Maddy grow up as a happy and healthy little girl.”
She would probably need to undergo another transplant surgery in 25 years time, but until that moment comes, she’s got many years to enjoy and live her life to the fullest.
