Coast Mountain News Thursday, May 12, 2011
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$1.00 + HST Vol. 27 | No. 10 Thursday, May 12, 2011
An overjoyed Darren Dettling with his daughter Challaine, who will be receiving his kidney in a matter of months
Family ecstatic as father a confirmed match for kidney donation BY CAITLIN THOMPSON Friends and family were overjoyed to hear that little Challaine Yvonne DettlingMorton will receive her father’s kidney in the coming months. Two-year old Challaine was born without functioning kidneys and has spent all of her life on dialysis. Early this year she was transferred
to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver to begin hemodialysis as her home-based peritoneal dialysis was no longer doing the job. Separated from her father and Bella Coola family, she has been in Vancouver with her mother, Rhonda Morton, ever since. Challaine’s father, Darren, began testing almost immediately to find out if he would qualify as a kidney donor to
his daughter. The process has multiple levels and usually takes months. The separation and the continued hemodialysis have been a challenge for the family, but they faced every day with a renewed optimism as Challaine’s father Darren continued to pass various levels of testing for kidney donation. Hopes were high for a success, but the family didn’t
dare speculate. On April 28, a week after Challaine’s second birthday, the family was told the good news. “Our prayers have been answered,” said Rhonda. “We all cried for hours the day it was confirmed that Darren was a match. Finally! It seems to have come fast in some ways, but then it can seem never ending when trying to get through the final hour of a
rough dialysis run.” Before a transplant could even be considered, Challaine had to reach a target weight of ten kilograms. She is now at a healthy 11.2 kilograms. The doctors remain impressed with her growth and praised the efforts of her parents because, considering all of the daily challenges she faces SEE
TRANSPLANT
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