Vernon youngster Dylan Nekrash is in need of a new kidney.
The 18-month-old boy was born with posterior urethral valves and has been on peritoneal dialysis nearly his whole life, since April 2022.
Although he is not big enough yet for a new kidney, the Nekrash family is looking ahead as it can take a number of months for a donor to do the workup needed.
Dylan’s mother, Megan, expressed the difficulty he has had over the past year.
“Being in kidney failure has led to Dylan being sick often and vomiting a lot,” she said. “This means lots of hospital visits requiring blood work and IV fluids as his electrolytes become unbalanced.”
The Nekrash family has been spending a lot of time between the Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH) and BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
“He is fed by a g-tube and on a number of medications that help him remain stable,” said Megan.
St Paul’s Hospital Living Donor Program is the place to call to start for workup to see if someone matches and ask any questions about the donation process. Their phone number is 1-604-806-9027.
Dylan can receive a kidney from anyone with the blood type B or O.
If someone would like to donate, but does not properly match Dylan, there is a pair kidney donation process that could happen.
For additional insight into Dylan, Megan has set up a blog at medicalmomlife.com and you can also email her at medicalmomlife@gmail.com. Despite the difficult start to life, Dylan has “managed to be full of smiles and laughter.”
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