Barring last-minute obstacles, the transplant of a kidney from 20-year-old cousin Brett Beattie to 20-month-old Jackson was scheduled to begin at 5:30 a.m. at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital, according to Facebook and Caring Bridge pages set up on Jackson’s behalf. Surgeons have told Jackson’s parents, Dave and Sara Beattie, that the operation normally takes four to five hours.
Jackson was born with kidney damage and was in urgent need of a new kidney. Finding a donor was difficult because most potential donors weren’t a close enough match that his body wouldn’t reject the donated organ.
Jackson was featured in a News Tribune story and in news broadcasts in May before the annual Duluth Kidney Walk. The “Keeping it Renal” team, consisting of family members and friends, raised more than $19,000 for the event. They also had a branch in Afghanistan organized by Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan “Jonah” Shaul, a high school classmate of Dave and Sara Beattie’s.
A timely jumble
On the subject of kidney donations, the “Hope for Jackson Beattie” page on Facebook includes a copy of Wednesday’s “Jumble,” which appears in the News Tribune and more than 600 other newspapers.
No comments:
Post a Comment