A little girl who has been dealing with health issues since she was five months old, is taking the next step on her journey and is one step closer to a normal childhood.
Opal Walsh, who has been on dialysis since she was five months old and is now almost two, has a transplant date and donor set for a new kidney.
The donor is her mother, Wendy.
“We have a transplant booking for May 28,” said her mother Wendy. “It has been a struggle, she has had lots of hospital stays and surgeries for complications and infections.”
The challenge for the family over the last year and a half was for Opal to gain the needed weight and health so she could receive a kidney transplant. Right now, her goal is to prepare for her surgery.
The family still sees a long road ahead. They will be in the hospital a few days before to get prepared. Wendy’s surgery will take about four hours, and Opal’s will take about eight. Opal will be in ICU for about three nights, and both mother and child will need time to heal. Wendy will be recovering for at least three weeks.
Opal's struggles captured the heart of Drumheller residents. Opal, daughter of Wendy and Chris, was just months old when her parents thought she had an allergic reaction. She was admitted to the Children’s Hospital where her parents learned the child’s kidneys were failing.
At five months old, Baby Opal was fighting for her life. The family faced months in and out of hospitals and seeing specialists. Opal has been undergoing constant dialysis since.
The community rallied in support of the young family as they faced these challenges, and held a number of events to raised funds to make sure the family could take proper care of Opal.
Opal currently has 12 hours of dialysis every night as well as two daytime exchanges.
“It is a new door, it is relief she will no longer be on dialysis, and that will be a big deal for Opal,” Wendy explained.
To get to this point has been a struggle for Opal. Most recently in January and February, she was in the hospital with a blood infection. She needed surgery to have her hemodialysis line removed and she is on a regiment of antibiotics.
After the May 28 surgery, mother and daughter will take the time to heal and look forward to the possibilities the transplant will bring.
