Bryan Dowdle

Family and friends of Bryan Dowdle are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a Transplant. Bryan has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.

Bryan was born with kidney failure and not expected to survive. Since he inherited stubborn from both sides of the family, he defied the odds. After 4 years on dialysis and many many surgeries he got his first kidney transplant from his mom. He was 5 years old.

At that time they told his parents to expect that kidney to last 10 years. Of course, stubborn factors in again and he has gone 28 years with this kidney!

We often say that Bryan has not read the medical text books since he just keeps doing his own thing, avoiding dialysis for 10 months longer than they insisted, avoiding surgeries they insisted he would need, only two bouts of an infection that afflicts all those on peritoneal dialysis over 4 years!

Bryan has autism and is developmentally disabled and his doctors weren’t sure how well he would function, but he is now working a few hours a week, he loves to play board games and video games and argue with his younger brother. He didn’t really talk until he was 5 – coincidentally after his transplant, but he is making up for it (especially when it comes to talking back to his parents!)

Sadly the time has come that it is failing and he needs a new one. We are really hoping to avoid dialysis, so we are hoping to find a living donor!

The wait for his blood type is 8 – 9 years.

We are lucky enough to have insurance, but it does not cover everything. Bryan will need to travel out of state for his transplant and of course he will need at least one person with him!

We also will need to pay for his donors travel and lodging as well.

As his mom, I am scared to death that he needs to have another transplant. Medically things have been so stable that I have forgotten the dread, the fear, the uncertainty. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Having financial help to pay for this transplant would take one major worry out of the equation.