Mother's Day Wish: A Kidney For Amelia

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — Jessica Hale doesn’t want a big fuss made over her on Mother’s Day. She doesn’t need a fresh bouquet of flowers, a fancy brunch or even a single gift. The only thing the Rochester Hills mother of two really wants is a kidney for her daughter, Amelia.

The 3-year-old was born with one kidney, and it’s currently functioning at just 15 percent. For Amelia, it means endless needle pokes for blood work, not being able to play with other children and getting nourished via a feeding tube three times a day. And for Jessica, it means countless doctor’s office visits and 24-hours-per-day care, seven days a week.

“I just want Amelia to have a normal life,” she said. “I just want that kidney to come so she can catch up.”

The disease has taken so much from the little girl, but you would never know it by looking at her. She loves playing with little brother Jake. And all those pokes and time spent with doctors? She takes it in stride. Not even a failed transplant could bring Amelia down for long.

“She bounced right back,” Jessica Hale said. “She’s a little fighter. She knows no different.”

The family maintains a Facebook site, “Kidney For Amelia.” On it, the 32-year-old Rochester native describes her daughter: “Amelia is a silly, loving and kind little girl and would seem just like any other three-year-old, except kidney disease has impacted her growth and development.”

But it doesn’t stop Amelia and her family from doing everything. On May 21, they will take part in this year’s 22nd annual Kidney Walk at the Detroit Zoo. Sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation, the event supports research, programming and services for area residents afflicted with chronic kidney disease.
It is the organization’s largest fundraiser. More than 70,000 metropolitan Detroit walkers and supporters have participated over the years and raised some $6 million.

Problems Ahead

Jessica and husband Matthew knew Amelia would be born with a kidney problem. An ultrasound at 20 weeks during Jessica's pregnancy revealed that their daughter would have a single kidney. But they found out after Amelia was born that the situation was even worse than anticipated.

She had to be transported from Beaumont Hospital to Children’s Hospital in Detroit shortly after birth. That quick intervention, plus what Jessica describes as fantastic care from Children’s, has kept Amelia from having to go through dialysis.

Things were looking up in May 2016. A few months prior, Matthew had been tested to see if he could donate a kidney to his daughter, and he was a match. But he couldn’t make the donation because of particular antibodies that Amelia carries.

That’s where Jessica stepped in. Although she wasn’t a match, she discovered the Alliance for Paired Donation program. The mother donated a healthy kidney to a recipient in New Jersey and, in return, Amelia got a kidney from a Minnesota donor.

But those same antibodies caused the transplant to fail. “It was crushing,” Jessica said.

Because of the antibodies, there’s only a 7 percent chance a match for Amelia can be found. Through the Facebook page, people from around the country have tried to aid the family. Jessica said a dozen people have been tested to see if they were a match for Amelia, but all have failed.

“I’m very shocked by the kindness of strangers who want to donate,” she said.

Most people are reluctant to donate. But the fact is, you only need one healthy kidney to live, Jessica Hale said. She has had no complications and does everything she use to do with two kidneys, she added.

“I feel normal, like I did before,” Jessica said. She doesn’t get frustrated with people who are afraid. “The knowledge just isn’t there.”

According to the National Kidney Foundation, about 100,000 people in America are waiting for a transplant. But demand far outpaces the supply, and the list grows by about 7,000 each year.

Besides literally saving a life, Jessica said another benefit is that donors go to the top of the list should they ever need a kidney. So, she and Matthew are like so many others, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for that call.

“I’ve stopped looking at my phone,” Jessica said, referencing her faith in God. “It will come when it’s supposed to come.”

For now, Jessica, Amelia and the family is simply looking forward to the Kidney Walk. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and the walk begins at 8:45 a.m.

Registration is $25 per person (over the age of 12) and $10 per child for ages 3-12 and includes parking, zoo admission and activities. Kids under the age of 2 years old are free.

“It’s a great cause,” Jessica Hale said. “All donations go to finding a cure for kidney disease."

Photos courtesy of Jessica Hale