Whenย Karen Rodas and Paul Rybkinโs son Nathaniel was born he lived for just 36 hours.
He was born with a rare condition calledย Polycystic Kidney Diseaseย (PKD) which causes cysts to grow in the kidneys which can lead to kidney failure.
The New Jersey couple had another child in 2013 Maddy who had the same condition as the coupleโs first child but after a two-year struggle with the disease this little girl was given a lifeline โ thanks to her dad.
Maddy Rbykinโs condition had caused her stomach to swell and for the first 18 months of her life she was in and out of hospital.
Despite the hospital visits, tubes and oxygen treatments Maddy was doing okay, until her health started to deteriorate.
Maddy was completely drained of energy, sleeping up to 18 hours a day and constantly vomiting, according toย The Mirror.
Doctors feared she might die unless a suitable kidney donor was found.
Successful operation
Her dad Paul was then identified as a match and was able to give his daughter the life-saving operation she needed.
โWith Paul and Maddy, two of my most precious souls, going under the knife, my nerves were a wreck,โ Karen said, according toย The Mirror.
The operation was a success and both daddy and daughter are doing well.
โDaddyโs kidney has saved our little girl,โ Karen added.ย โNow, she has boundless energy. Her massive tummy now just looks a little bit rounded and she is a happy and healthy two-year-old.โ
A modest Paul said he would have done what any other parent would.
โHappy and healthy little girlโ
โWe have been on a rollercoaster โ but any father would have done what I did, donating my kidney to Maddy. Itโs part of being a parent,โ he said, according toย The Mirror.
โNow we are on a high and can watch Maddy grow up as a happy and healthy little girl.โ
Maddy will need another kidney transplant in 25 years, but for her parents, that feels like a โlifetime away.โ
You can follow Maddyโs journeyย here, where her mom continues to update how it goes for her daughter โ itโs great to see her progress and howโs she doing today, in 2023.
ย So happy that something could be done. Bless her and her dad too!
Please share to wish Maddy a happy and healthy life.
