About Vivian Lemire
Vivian’s Journey
Vivian Lemire is a 2 year old toddler living in St. Charles, Missouri and has been diagnosed with Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD). Vivian is in need of a lifesaving kidney transplant. Vivian’s Journey is a fund raising effort by her friends and family to help give Vivian a chance at a life full of miracles.
Vivian: A Miracle Baby
Vivian’s Journey with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) was confirmed at week 32 of pregnancy when an ultrasound showed her kidneys were enlarged with cysts and her amniotic fluid was dangerously low. Vivian’s mom was placed on bed rest at the hospital for 24 hour a day monitoring of Vivian’s heartbeat. The doctors were very concerned for Vivian due to the low amniotic fluid which was a result of the lack of kidney function. The concerns were not only for Vivian’s kidneys, but also for her lungs. Amniotic fluid is critical for lung development and without the proper level of amniotic fluid Vivian’s lungs would not be able to develop properly. Vivian’s parents were heartbroken that Vivian would have to battle PKD.
Vivian’s parents were not unfamiliar with PKD. In 2006 Vivian’s sister, Renee, was born with ARPKD. Renee’s condition had gone undetected during pregnancy and Renee lost her battle with PKD after just a few short days in this world. For 5 weeks Vivian’s parents prayed that their little Vivian would be able to breathe on her own and would have some kidney function to sustain her till she got a little older. Vivian’s heart muscles began to show signs of hypertension so the doctors determined they could no longer wait and Vivian was delivered on December 21st 2010.
Vivian’s lungs h
ad some underdevelopment but she was able to breathe with minimal assistance. Vivian was now faced with severe hypertension and renal failure with kidneys that were estimated to be the size of adult kidneys. At 2 weeks old Vivian had her first kidney removed and began dialysis 24 hours a day. 4 weeks later Vivian’s had her 2nd kidney removed. Vivian has spent 278 days in the hospital over her first year, having several surgeries, battling infections and complications of an immune system that cannot handle ordinary illnesses.
The Long Road Ahead
Vivian’s parents take Vivian to the hospital 4 days a week for hemodialysis. Each session is 4 hours long with a commute of 40 minutes each way. Dialysis performs the function of removing tox
ins and fluid from her body while she waits to be transplanted. Vivian is on several medications which change frequently depending on how her body is handling the dialysis. Vivian loves to play with her toys and is starting to talk. She loves to laugh and smile, especially when she hears music.
Can You Help?
The most important thing you can do is to contribute to Vivian’s fundraising effort in whatever way you can. The campaign is being conducted in association with COTA, which is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, with all donations fully tax-deductible.
While her family has medical insurance, it doesn’t cover the full cost of the transplant itself and related follow-up care expenses. These costs have been estimated to be at least $50,000. Please help us raise this amount so that Vivian can continue to experience miracles.
Visit Vivian's Facebook page that her cousin Ashley helped us put together. Thank You Ashley!
http://www.facebook.com/Viviansjourney
Visit a slideshow that we created on youtube below.
We have a new slideshow added, this was done by Lori from chasinadreamphotography.com.
http://animoto.com/play/uJuFrrUYHiP3VcWIsQ51IA
