Ezra Lopez

Ezra was born at 33 weeks and 5 days on May 8, 2020. From ultrasound I knew he would have renal issues. I had been told from those ultrasounds that he more than likely would not make it because his kidneys looked so bad. After he was born I was told he had an imperforate anus (no opening in his bottom). His first surgery was 3 days later to create a colostomy. Then a few days after this I was told his urethra has a very narrow opening and he was not urinating as much as he should. This was most likely the cause of his kidney problems his bladder was kind of like a balloon the urethra wasn’t wide enough for him to urinate it was just dripping so the bladder was filling up and it was pushing all of the urine back to the kidneys damaging them permanently. By the end of his second week of life he had his next surgery to create a vesicostomy (opening on his belly for his bladder to drain). Over the past two years he has had a couple of other surgeries. He had his bottom opened and his colostomy closed so he can stool normally now. He still has a vesicostomy and more than likely will have one permanently as there is not fix for a narrow urethra.

His kidneys from birth were very low functioning. He has one polycystic kidney that does not function at all. His other kidney is small and very low functioning. By the grace of God my sweet boy has made it over 2 years without having to be placed on dialysis! He is now at the weight and size he needs to be for a kidney transplant. At 22 pounds he can receive an adult kidney as our kidneys are pretty tiny even though they do a lot for our bodies! He is an “O” blood type so would need a donor in the “O”blood group. A live donor would be preferred it takes months to get onto the transplant list and the wait for a deceased donor can take up to a year or more. If you were to choose to try to be his donor you can reach out to transplant at OU Medical Center by calling 405-271-7498. You would need to ask for the living donor coordinator and leave a voice message of who you are and that you are interested in donating to Ezra Lopez and a callback number where she can reach you and your voicemail must be cleared where she can leave a message.

We would be so appreciative of anyone that would be willing to donate a kidney to Ezra. He is such an amazing, strong, sweet and happy boy. All of the surgeries he’s already had in his life and he still always has a smile on his face!

If you cannot donate a kidney, if you could find it in your heart to help us meet the financial needs we have to be able to get this precious boy a kidney, we would be forever grateful!

(Family and friends of Ezra Lopez are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with transplantation.
Ezra has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button. )

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!