Grady's Gift - Meet Grady, Our 2024 KIDstruction Week Patient Ambassador

Grady, the 2024 KIDstruction Week Patient Ambassador, was born a full-term healthy baby and the youngest of four boys. His medical journey began when he started having seizures at only 10 days old and his mom and dad rushed him to the Emergency Department (ED). Grady’s initial care team suspected an infection was to blame, but they were unable to locate the source. It was also discovered at this time that Grady had suffered a stroke.
Grady was soon diagnosed with congenital nephrotic syndrome, a rare inherited kidney disorder. This disorder is passed down through families and requires aggressive treatment. Grady spent over six weeks in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and was finally released to go home with a central line in his chest. He was required to have daily infusions which kept him relatively healthy for a short time.
By November of 2022, Grady’s medical team at St. Louis Children's Hospital felt that his kidneys were no longer functioning and they needed to be removed, which meant he would need dialysis at the hospital five days a week. In August 2023, Grady received his life-saving kidney transplant.