On July 13^th Max celebrated the 6^th anniversary of his kidney transplant.  It’s hard to believe it has already been 6 years since his transplant and nearly 7 ½ years since he first became ill.  Max is doing great and his labs continue to show no signs of rejection.  He is having a busy summer attending drum lessons, swimming, playing golf.  Max learned 2 new things ice skating and skiing this past winter he enjoyed both sports.  Max had done exceptionally well in school also, which is a milestone in itself.  He will be in fourth grade this coming school year.

This is our eight year of participation in Al's Run & Walk for Children's Hospital and we are proud of the fact that we have already raised over $96,000 for the hospital.  For those unfamiliar with Max's story the following is a brief summary. 

In March 2003 Max contracted a rare case of pnuemonia.  He became septic (an infection in the blood) and during the course of treatment the doctors ran into complications as Max's blood wasn't clotting and they couldn't figure out why. A team of critical care doctors worked for several hours attempting to stabilize Max before informing Max's family that they had only about 2 more hours to find a solution before Max would bleed to death. The doctors estimated that Max's likelihood of surviving was less than 5%. Miraculously, the doctors determined Max had a rare strain ("T Antigen") of the pneumonia and were able to stabilize him by providing him with blood transfusions with "washed" blood that consisted solely of platelets and red blood cells. At this point the doctors figured Max had a 50/50 chance of surviving the next couple of days. After a long struggle that included 26 days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and an additional 52 days on the intermediate care floor Maxwell was discharged.

Unfortunately, Max suffered the following damage due to various complications: - Max had the tips of 9 fingers and 6 toes amputated; - Max suffered bleeding on his brain that resulted in brain damage similar to a stroke. He received several months of rehabilitation learning how to regain the ability to walk, talk, and eat; - Max's kidneys were damaged and essentially "shut down" and never recovered. He received kidney dialysis for 10 hours each night from March 13, 2003 until July 13, 2004. The good news is the fact that on July 13, 2004 Max received a "new" kidney from Jane Piering (a cousin of Max's dad, Scott) via a transplant.  Max has been eating and drinking much better and as a result his G-tube was removed and surgically closed in December 2006.

There is no question that without Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Max would not be with us today. In addition, the extent of Max's permanent damage would have been far worse had he not been admitted to Children's Hospital. They have the finest doctors and nurses, know the latest techniques, and have the finest equipment in the country.  All of this is possible in large part because of the generous financial contributions made by individuals like you who share a passion for protecting children.  While Max will need continuous medical attention for the remainder of his life we feel completely confident knowing Children's Hospital will be there with us every step of the way.

 Thank you for visiting our Personal Fundraising Page.  Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!