Hello, back on February 19th my oldest sister, Michelle Raymond and her family were given some devastating news, her 13-year-old son, Caleb Harris was diagnosed with End Stage Renal disease. The name of his condition is Nephronophthisis. It is a genetic disorder found in children, which there are only 14 strands known and he is number 15. There is only 1 case per million people in the United States. This diagnosis came without any warning. Caleb went in for his yearly wellness checkup and his pediatrician had some concerns with Caleb’s growth within the last visit. He had stopped growing and was also showing signs of weight loss. His pediatrician then ordered lab work to see what they could find and that is when they found out about his kidney disease, and this is where they also told them he needs to start dialysis right away. That’s when they knew this was serious.

I started this fundraiser to help raise money for my Michelle's medical expenses not covered by insurance and help with the monthly bills while she is out of work. Michelle is her son’s living donor, and she will be donating her kidney to her 13-year-old son. His transplant date is August 14th. After the transplant Michelle will be out of work for about 4-6 weeks. Caleb will be in ICU after surgery and possibly in the hospital up to a week. His first year will be lots of appts. He will be taking lots of different medications each day, so his body doesn’t reject his new kidney. He will most likely be doing school homebound due to not compromising his immune system as he heals. He will need to be secluded from a lot as to not pick up germs or any sickness while he recovers. She is grateful for all the love and support they have received in their time of need. If you would like to help, donations are welcomed, along with prayers and positive vibes. Every little bit will help her family get through this traumatic event that they are facing while they strive to get back on their feet while recovering from this transplant.

Here is Caleb’s journey so far to getting a new kidney:

On February 19th, They were informed of Caleb’s rare kidney disease, and he was admitted to CHKD the same day. When he arrived, they took ultrasounds and had him scheduled for surgery to insert a catheter into his chest so he could begin the dialysis process. While he was recovering from the surgery, the doctors looked at his ultrasounds and were worried when they saw 2 masses on his kidneys. At this time, the doctor wanted a biopsy done, so now Michelle was having to talk with an oncologist as well as the kidney specialist team. 

On March 12th, The biopsy was performed and came back with no signs of cancer, which was amazing news, but the mass they saw was what was left of Caleb’s kidneys. They were told Caleb needed a kidney transplant. Michelle immediately told them she wanted to be tested to see if she was a match for him. 

On March 29th, Caleb meets with his cardiologist and that is when the process started to see if Michelle was a match for him. Lots of lab work.

On April 10th, They meet with the transplant surgeon.

On May 16th, Caleb has an orthopedic appointment. Before finding out about Caleb’s kidney disease, he went out for soccer at his school and ended up breaking his wrist in 2 places in December of 2023. He has since been put in 2 casts and to this day he is still wearing a brace due to his bones not healing from his kidney failure.

On June 21st, Michelle had her living donor appointment, and after several weeks of doing all sorts of lab work, it was official, MICHELLE WAS A MATCH!!

Through all these appointments, Caleb goes to dialysis 3 days a week for 3 hours to have his blood filtered. It’s amazing how dialysis gets him feeling better and gives him energy. He is always making his nurses laugh with his dancing and working himself up to take his meds. Before this he could not take pills.

August 14th is TRANSPLANT DAY!!!!!