Only 20 weeks into her pregnancy, Natalie Foy and her husband Nick discovered that their baby, Theo, would be born with severe kidney complications and underdeveloped lungs. Nick and Natalie hoped for the best, but prepared for the worst.
Theo was delivered on November 28, 2011 and immediately rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery at Levine Children‛s Hospital, where he needed the assistance of a ventilator and chest tube to survive. Though he was able to breathe on his own just 4 days later, Theo‛s kidneys were not functioning.
Theo spent the next 3 months at Levine Children‛s Hospital, where he underwent several surgeries allowing a dialysis catheter and feeding tube to assist in his development. Ultimately, a kidney transplant was needed for young Theo to survive.
At 17 months, Theo received a life-saving kidney transplant from his aunt, Whitney. The family affectionately refers to his new kidney as “Dubya” and Theo knows that he has to take medicine every day to “keep Dubya happy”. Theo, who turns three years old this month, is now a healthy, growing boy who enjoys playing with his toy trucks and being an awesome big brother to his little sister, Nora.
Pictured (above): The Foy family pictured with healthy Theo and little sister, Nora ; (below): Theo with his Aunt Whitney at Levine Children’s Hospital.
