Some Good News, Newmarket Boy Gets New Kidney and is Doing Great

Young Ian Donaldson, age 11, from Newmarket is feeling fine thanks to a kidney transplant he desperately needed.  The pandemic has been hard for all of us but imagine having a sick child needed a complex medical procedure, a kidney transplant.  Ian Donaldson had been making the trip to Boston Children’s Hospital for dialysis three days a week due to poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, a rare kidney disease according to reporting by WMUR.com.  In the last year, many family and friends took the test to see if they were a match for Ian but they did not find a match among the generous donors.  Ian had to be put on the transplant list in January.  Then the pandemic hit, which put a halt to any calls until May.

His mother, Andrea Donaldson tells WMUR.com “They were just unsure how COVID would affect kidney transplant recipients.  They found that apparently that not much different than healthy kids.”  A match was found on July 8 and he got his transplant.  No more dialysis and much more normal life are ahead for Ian.  WMUR reports that Ian has a message for his caregivers, “Thank you so much.  I wouldn’t be here without my dialysis nurses, my doctors, everybody at the children’s hospital, and my friends and family who supported me through this.  So thanks to everybody.”

Ian’s brave fight puts things in perspective for me.  Many are unhappy with the lockdown and not being able to go to their favorite restaurant and having to wear a mask but look at what Ian has been through.  I am grateful for all the blessings in my life and super happy Ian’s story had a good outcome.  His fight is far from over, he will have to be on medication and needs to be careful but it’s a good sign.  His parents hope Ian’s story inspires others to be organ donors. I am passionate about organ donation.  A young girl that interned for me many years ago had a successful heart transplant and every time I see her pictures on Facebook with her daughter, it makes my heart smile.  Please consider becoming a donor.