DETROIT (WXYZ) — Luna is only 20 months old, but her family said she isn't able to be a normal baby. Her playfulness and childlike energy is being stifled by daily dialysis and trips to the hospital.
Luna was diagnosed with a rare congenital kidney disease, causing her kidneys to fail. Luna currently has 0% function in her kidneys and is undergoing dialysis.
Luna's mom, Kyleigh Bedder, and her grandma, Connie Winn, told me they started noticing something was wrong right after her first birthday. Bedder said she woke up the day after her celebration with an incredibly swollen face.
"When we first went into the hospital, we never imagined it would be anything this serious," Bedder said.
Doctor Melissa Gregory, a pediatric nephrologist at Children's Hospital of Michigan, explained to me that kidney disease in children is incredibly rare. But for Luna, it is now a race against the clock because dialysis takes a much bigger toll on little bodies long term.
" Dialysis over the course of years takes its toll," Gregory said. "It's difficult for kids to have normal development while on dialysis... Luna's on a daily dialysis program."
Now, Luna's family is turning to the community desperately searching for a kidney donor match.
"I can't imagine a better thing that anybody can do for another person. And to be a living donor and to be able to give a kidney to somebody and know them, it's just so selfless," Winn said.
If you would like to find out if you're a match for baby Luna, you can visit Henry Ford Health's website to fill out a form or call Children’s Hospital of Michigan Transplant coordinator at 313-745-1339
