Robert "Boo" Maddox V is 9 years old and has been in and out of the hospital since he was 5-years-old. He was first hospitalized at New Orleans Children's Hospital for 480 days from November 2009 to March 2011 as he battled complications from a bout of the H1N1 flu virus, the swine flu. His kidneys were severely damaged, but due to so many other complications that Boo faced, he did not appear to be a candidate for a kidney transplant and his parents had to drive for eight hours round trip three times a week to get Boo dialysis. But it appears that those days are over now that Boo got the best gift he could have gotten from his devoted mom.
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Boo got his mother's kidney in a transplant. The little boy wasn't considered a viable candidate for a kidney transplant because he was having complications like severe abdominal pain along with breathing problems and all sorts of other issues. Fortunately, Dr. MikelPrieto, surgical director of the kidney and pancreas transplant program at Mayo Clinic realized that most of Boo's problems started after he had a fistula put in connecting an artery to a vein in order to make dialysis more efficient. The fistula was replaced by a catheter to the vena cava, a vein that connects the upper and lower halves of the body. Boo responded so well to the change that he became a kidney transplant candidate.
Both of Boo's parents, 44-year-old Robert Maddox the IV and 42-year-old Renee Maddox, were ready and willing to donate a kidney to their child. In the end the honor went to Boo's mother Renee.
The transplant surgery was performed on July 29 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Both mother and son are doing well and Boo's new kidney is responding as expected.
This is HUGE and such a life-changing surgery for this little boy. The possibility of going back to school is now well within sight. I am so happy for the family and really grateful that Dr. Mikel Prieto was so committed to finding a way to help Boo that he figured out that the fistula was what was causing so many problems. I'm not convinced that every doctor is as dedicated. His mom is also beyond brave to give up her own organ for her son, but I'm sure all of us mamás would totally do the same for our own kids.
I wish Robert "Boo" Maddox V a long and healthy life. It's obvious this kid is a fighter and I'm so glad his life was made a bit easier.
Image via Mayo Clinic
