New Years Eve we all stayed home and watch a movie. Kiley made it to Midnight. We thought Zachary was sleeping but when I went into his room to check on him at 12:30AM, He was still a wake playing his video game!! Wow, what a party animal!!

Now on to Zachary’s health; The past 3 weeks Zachary has lost 3lbs, so now his weight is 35lbs. Not good for him.  The Doctor’s up his J-tube feeds at night to 12 hours and are planning on starting him back on Doulcal. It’s a medication to help him put the weight back on.  His creatinine level is 1.2 and bun is 70!  way to HIGH! He is also having lots of problems with a high Potassium and phosphorus. Zachary  had a Kidney ultrasound on Tuesday Jan 20, and the Doctor’s didn’t like the results. His bladder is still not working right. We have decided to have the Matrofanoff done at the U of M. It is a VERY big surgery for him  because they have to re-open him from top to bottom. My heart breaks knowing that he has to have this done. When he is opened they are also going to remove most of the scare tissue and clean the adhesions around the bowel. Zachary will be in the Hospital for couple of weeks. We are not ready for another Kidney Transplant. The doctor’s hope that having this surgery will help protect the kidney function that he has left. 

This Sunday Jan 25th watch the TimberWolves!! The TimberWolves are honoring Zachary as a HERO in the Making!!!  They are giving us A Privite Suite. And Our Family also will get to be on the court with the players to watch then warm up. At half time they are going to tell his story and honor him with a autographed Team ball and a Personalized Jersery with his name on it. How exciting is that!!!.

Kiley will be 9 on Jan 25!!!! Happy Birthday Kiley

Please pray for a healthy KIDNEY,   

Check this out! we are in the National Kidney Foundation Video.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1068500119052  

Zachary’s youtube video  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLt1V56w4aM

The Elsenpeter Family

Happy Birthday Zachary!!!!! It’s hard to believe that he was born 5 years ago. Two weeks after he was born we found out that he had bad kidney’s and would need a transplant to live. I will never forget that day sitting in a room down at Childrens Hospital, not knowing what was wrong with our baby Zach. I just thought maybe he was still acting like he was born to earlier and just was not ready to endure the struggles that lie ahead of him. If only I knew to prepare our family. The day we found out that Zachary needed a Kidney Transplant, my heart fell through the ground, I just never thought this could happen to such a little innocent baby. But now I look back at everything that we have endured over the last 5 years , and all I can think about is our future and what lies ahead. I have a wonderful husband that saved our little Zachary, by donating one of his kidneys ,who is a miracle that lights up my day every time I see his smile. A daughter Kiley who has seen and endured more than any child should, and our wonderful little Austin who taught me that I have more love in my heart to give.

Read last post for Zachary’s health updates, there is alot going on.

Thank you for all your support and prays.

Happy Hoildays

The Elsenpeter Family

WOW!!!

I CAN’T believe that 4 years ago on December 1, 2004 our lives changed forever. My Husband our HERO gave Zachary the gift of life. I remember that day like it was yesterday. That feeling in my stomach when they wheeled my husband in to the Operating room to give Zachary the ultimate gift. And than when they took Zachary out of my arms, I felt like someone was ripping me apart.

Zachary has taught us not to sweat the small stuff. We’ve come to realize that life is about living in the moment and to stop to smell the roses, listen to the kids when they are singing a silly song {kiley}, read a story and stop at Diary Queen for ice cream.  That would be Zachary, he loves ice cream.  

Now 4 years later, Zachary is in preschool and running around like a normal 4 year old should.  You would never be able to tell that he has over 25 surgeries, multiple procures and countless infections.  He is such a neat little boy. He is always laughing, smiling, running and jumping of the furniture. He is a crazy little boy. And we love every moment of it.

We are so thankful for all of the support from all of our family and friend’s; we would not be able to survive with out all the help. In the last 4 years we have had a lot of ups and downs with many surgeries, infections, complications and with Zachary in chronic kidney failure again. Transplant life is never going to be easy for Zachary, It is not a cure it is to help improve his quality of life.

Zachary has been having a lot of problems with not emptying his bladder for about a year now. The U of M Urology wants to do a surgery to help him, It is a very complicated surgery for Zachary and it could go great or he could have major complications. Nephrology at the U of M thinks if we do this surgery we could cause more problems, they call this a gray area. So we went to MAYO clinic in Rochester On December 5 for a second opinion and they feel the same way has the U of M. So we have 2 doctors that say he NEEDS this surgery to save the kidney and 2 that say you could cause more problems. HELP where do we go NOW!!! It is in the Lords hands. We pray for some answers. We will be in contact with the Mayo Doctors after the Hoildays for more answers.

Zachary is still fed by a j-tube, but is starting to eat about 200-300 cals- a day on his own, which is a huge step for him. We also has his IEP meeting with his school to talk about Kindergarten for next year. WOW!! I can’t believe he is going to be 5 years old were did the time go.

On December 1st we rented out Adventure Park, its a big play area with lots of tunnels to climb through. Zachary was running and laughing, it was so great to see him having so much fun. This last year has been a tough year on him. With him in chronic kidney failure his electrolytes have been out of control, so Zachary is back on some of his pre-transplant meds again. This makes his medication list up to 20 medications daily. He also is hocked up to his feeding pump for 8 hours a night. But during the day Zachary is a normal little boy playing lots of video games on the Wii, going to school and wrestling his little brother to the ground.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers through these difficult times. 

Happy Holidays

Wade, Stacey, Kiley, Zachary and Austin

I can’t believe that summer is over and the kids are back in school.  Zachary has had a rough summer with surgeries, hospital stays, and lots of procedures to see why his bladder is not working right.  The Doctors are still trying to figure out what will be best for Zachary.  It sounds like we might have to go to Milwaukee to see a specialist about his bladder.  He had labs draw on Friday that came back a little scary for all of us.  His potassium is really high and sodium is low.  That could cause him to go into Cardiac arrest.  His creatinine and the rest of his labs were also way off.  The Doctors started him on 4 new meds and changed his Blood Pressure med to hopfully get him back on track.  On Monday we are back in for lab draws again, Please pray that these meds help control his Electrolites.  If this doesn’t get under control he Doctors said they will have to start him on Dilaiysis .  We are definately NOT ready for another Transplant.  Zachary is also on a strict diet, not that he eats alot because he is still J-tube feed .  Zachary loves cheese and that is one of his restricted foods.

           On the good side Zachary finally has his own room, with the help of our Kidney friends The Schmitz    family.  Their son Layton who is 4 just got his Daddy’s kidney 1 month ago and he is doing great!!!! Wade’s friend Dave helped out with the finishing work, Thank’s Dave.

Zachary also is starting school on Monday.  Depending on his labs, If they are way off we are back in the hospital for more testing.

Our family went to St. Patricks Church on Saturday for there fall festival.  We all had a great time, Zachary and Austin loved the clown show.  After the show I ask them it they would donated there time for a special event for Hope Kids, which is a great organization for kids with a life theating illness. The clowns face just about fall to the ground.  They are also a Hope Kids family. Their son had Luekemia and is doing great, what a small world.

 On Sunday Hope Kids had there Annual Festival.  The Kids all had a blast!!! They had 10 Inflatable bounchers, Mini Golf, Rock climbing wall, Petting Zoo, Horse back rides, Lots of food and the Gopher Athletes put on sport clinics for all the childern.  Kiley thought it was pretty neat to meet all of the gymnast.  They even spotted her on some tricks.  Zachary also got to meet a lot of his favorite Super Hero’s.  Check out the picture’s.

Once again our family is walking in the National Kidney Foundation walk on October 11, at Midway Stadium. If you would like to walk or sponser our family. Go to www.kidneywalk.org MN Go toTeam Zachary

Zachary’s youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLt1V56w4aM

Kiley’s video http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/auth_preview?work_id=7256395

Elsenpeter Family

Kidney Walk 2007

Always on the holiday’s.  On July 3rd at 11pm, Zachary was having really bad belly pain so off to the U of M hospital.  Zachary had a VCUG done a couple of days prior, with a return visit the next day for emergency surgery to fix a collapsed urethra.  So with his bad belly pain we thought it would be best to head to the hospital.  After a long night and lots of pain and vomiting. The doctors discovered that Zachary had 4 areas of the bowel that were obstructed by adhesions from all for the surgery that has had. Four days later we returned home on a new medication, to make his daily med now up to 14!!!!  Before his transplant Zachary was on 21 meds daily so 14 seem quite manageable.  Zachary has a bladder study on August 4, at the U of M.  He has been having trouble with going potty for about a year now.  He can hold 700cc in his bladder at one time, normal is 200 at one time.  We pray that the doctor’s can figure out how to fix the problem, so the kidney doesn’t get damage anymore. Two summers ago Zachary’s lab counts were jumping around alot. They performed a biopsy that told us that he was going into chronic kidney failure again.  My main concern is to protect that new kidney. 

Kidney Walk Site

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers,

The Elsenpeter Family