麻豆果冻传媒

From Peru To Palo Alto To Save Julian鈥檚 Life

4-year-old receives 鈥済ift of life鈥 from pediatrician aunt 4,000 miles away

For Release: April 19, 2011

STANFORD, Calif.听鈥听鈥淗e鈥檚 talking up a storm, getting stronger every day, and getting ready to go home in the middle of May.鈥

Pediatric nephrologist听Paul Grimm, MD, is talking about 4-year-old Julian Uceda-Valdez and his 4,000 mile journey from Lima, Peru to Palo Alto for treatment of an extremely rare and deadly听kidney disorder.

On March 15, at Lucile Packard Children鈥檚 Hospital Stanford, Julian successfully received a living donor听kidney transplant听from his cousin Lourdes Valdez, a Northern California pediatrician. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a blessing,鈥 said mom Marita. 鈥淪uch a gift, I just can鈥檛 believe it.鈥

The surgery was a loving and lifesaving moment for Julian, who says he鈥檚 now looking forward to the new Cars 2 movie and a couple dozen batches of mom鈥檚 brownies. He was born with听congenital nephrotic syndrome, a deadly hereditary disorder that caused the tragic 2003 death of his brother at the age of two-and-a-half months. With transplant surgery not an option in Peru, parents Ricardo Uceda and Marita Valdez embarked on a global search for a top transplant center to save Julian鈥檚 life. That brought them to Packard Children鈥檚, home to a kidney transplant听program with one of the highest success rates in the world.

鈥淛ulian was so sick he couldn鈥檛 walk when we first saw him in 2010,鈥 said Grimm. 鈥淗is kidneys were leaking a ton of protein, and he was on the verge of needing听dialysis. We came up with a plan to get him stabilized.鈥 The goal of Grimm鈥檚 team was to give Julian time to get healthy enough to come back to Packard in 2011 for the transplant. 鈥淲e were in regular consultation with the family and Julian鈥檚 doctors thousands of miles away,鈥 said Gerri James, RN, transplant coordinator. 鈥淧repping him for a successful surgery meant optimizing his nutrition and getting his failing kidneys out.鈥

In the meantime, money for the surgery was being raised through an amazing worldwide campaign called 鈥淛ulian, be part of the miracle鈥 with the help of a community of volunteers and charity events. The Children鈥檚 Organ Transplant Association, a national organization dedicated to guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients, led this global effort.

But wait a minute. Where would the transplant come from?听Enter Marita鈥檚 first cousin 鈥淎untie Lourdes,鈥 a pediatrician who, in a remarkable but unsurprising sacrifice, decided that she would donate one of her kidneys to Julian. 鈥淲hen I learned that neither parent could be a donor, it just broke my heart,鈥 said Lourdes, who was at Julian鈥檚 side in Peru when he was born, and was instrumental in helping diagnose his genetic condition and in connecting the family to Packard Children鈥檚. One sleepless night, she turned to her husband, also a nephrologist, and said 鈥淚 can be Julian鈥檚 donor.鈥 鈥淚 just had this feeling that I was his best chance. I don鈥檛 know why, it just came from my heart.鈥

The 3-hour surgery on March 15 was performed by听Waldo Concepcion, MD, Packard鈥檚 鈥渋ronman鈥 of kidney transplant surgery who once led five transplants in two days. The听kidney transplant team听readied Julian in a Packard operating room while Lourdes was wheeled into surgery at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. First, Concepcion removed one of Lourdes鈥 kidneys, which was then quickly whisked to Julian at Packard for transplantation.

Now out of the hospital and staying with Bay Area family prior to returning home to Peru, Julian鈥檚 鈥渞ecovering very well,鈥 said Grimm. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a very strong young man who should have a nice quality of life, though he鈥檒l always need medications to help avoid transplant rejection.鈥

Friends and family in Peru can鈥檛 wait to have Julian home, where he鈥檒l settle back into his beloved routine of solving puzzles and reading just about anything he can get his hands on. 鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to Lourdes for her marvelous sacrifice, to the community for their donations, and to Packard Children鈥檚 for their exceptional care,鈥 said Ricardo. 鈥淛ulian has received the very best, and that鈥檚 why we are now able to take our little boy home. We are so, so thankful.鈥

Related Links:
1.听Pioneering research from Packard Children鈥檚听has demonstrated that a kidney transplanted from an adult donor into an infant or small child has the greatest chance of success of any organ transplant in any age group.

Author

Robert Dicks
(650) 497-8364
rdicks@stanfordchildrens.org

About 麻豆果冻传媒 Children's Health

麻豆果冻传媒 Children鈥檚 Health, with听Lucile Packard Children鈥檚 Hospital Stanford听at its center, is the Bay Area鈥檚 largest health care system exclusively dedicated to children and expectant mothers. Our network of care includes more than 65听locations听across Northern California and more than 85 locations in the U.S. Western region.听Along with Stanford Health Care and the Stanford School of Medicine, we are part of听, an ecosystem harnessing the potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education, and clinical care to improve health outcomes around the world. We are a nonprofit organization committed to supporting the community through meaningful outreach programs and services and providing necessary medical care to families, regardless of their ability to pay. Discover more at听stanfordchildrens.org.