DEWITT, MI — A family in DeWitt is reaching out to the community in hopes of finding a kidney donor for their 1-year-old son.
Rosa De Pasquale Hobbs and Mark Hobbs say Ryan is their "miracle child."
“He’s an amazing baby. We were both very happy when he was born," Mark Hobbs said.
They experienced three miscarriages before finding out Rosa was pregnant with Ryan last year.
“When I was 34 weeks of pregnancy, his kidneys stopped working in the womb,” Rosa said.
She says the doctors decided to have her deliver him early in order to help him.
They knew he had spina bifida and kidney disease but were told it was mild.
“When we found out he had spina bifida, think some people choose to terminate the pregnancy when they find that out. But Rosa and I never discussed that at all,” Mark said.
Since birth Ryan has had five surgeries and has been hospitalized a lot. Ryan also was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a type two Chiari malformation and a list of other things.
His mom says a lot of his problems are tied to his kidney.
“Now he’s in stage four of kidney failure, and the next step will be dialysis and transplant,” she said.
He's going through physical therapy, but Rosa says the kidney issue is slowing him down with that.
“We have to stop constantly because he needs care for his kidney. So, his development has a lot of delay,” she said.
They say the wait for a deceased donor could take years. They are looking for a living donor to help Ryan have a better life.
“He’s going to need multiple kidney transplants throughout his life. We’re looking for a living donor because that type of kidney will last longer...” Mark said. “Anybody with a healthy kidney can donate size doesn’t matter.”
The Hobbs both know that this will only be a piece of the puzzle when it comes to long-term care for their son, but they say he's their miracle child and they aren't giving up.
"All of his issues, it can be addressed, it can be helped," Mark said. “Make sure he can be a happy kid be able to go out and play with other kids, not have to worry about being on dialysis. Comes down to just wanting the best quality of life for him.”
If you would like to help or to follow Ryan's story you can check out his Facebook page 'I'm Ryan and this is my fight'.
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