One Kidney.
Endless Impact.

In 2019, what seemed like a stubborn cold just wouldn’t go away. 

Avery was exhausted, weak, and dealing with body aches and a cough that just wouldn’t quit. Doctor after doctor tested for the usual suspects—strep, the flu, and everything in between—but every result came back negative. When she was finally diagnosed with pneumonia, we were sent to the Children’s ER, assuming it was the next step toward recovery. 

Instead, it became the moment everything changed. During routine testing, a doctor noticed something that didn’t add up. Avery’s kidneys were not functioning the way they should. By the end of the night, pneumonia was no longer our biggest concern. 

Further testing revealed the diagnosis no parent is prepared to hear. Avery had already lost a significant amount of kidney function and was diagnosed with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease. Her kidneys were working at roughly 40 percent, the result of severe bilateral vesicoureteral reflux—a condition that had allowed urine to flow backward into her kidneys for years, quietly causing damage no one could see. While that damage couldn’t be reversed, catching it when we did gave us the chance to slow what came next.

At the end of that year, Avery underwent ureteral reimplantation surgery, a procedure designed to stop urine from flowing backward from the bladder into the kidneys. Without it, the damage to her kidneys would have continued. The surgery gave her kidneys the best possible chance to be protected from further harm, even though it couldn’t undo what had already been done.

Her recovery surprised everyone. Within days, she was back at school, moving with the same determination she’d always had. Not long after, she was cleared to return to soccer. Watching her step back onto the field felt like reclaiming something we were afraid she might lose forever. 

Life didn’t go back to the way it was before, but it found a new rhythm. 

Kidney disease didn’t arrive all at once. It settled into Avery’s everyday life, quietly and relentlessly. It meant learning how to check her own blood pressure before most kids knew what blood pressure even was. It meant blood draws every month, then every week, and sometimes multiple times a week. It meant understanding numbers like BUN and creatinine, learning what they meant for her body, her energy, and her future. These are words most adults never need to know, yet Avery learned them as a child because she had to.

There were labs, appointments, medications, and constant conversations about numbers that carried real weight. Numbers that determined whether she could play, how she felt that day, or what came next. This is not knowledge gained out of curiosity, but out of necessity. This is a kid who understands her body in ways most grown-ups never do.

And still, she kept moving forward. Today, Avery is a sophomore in high school in Olathe, Kansas. She is a competitive soccer goalkeeper who thrives under pressure, a skater who loves the feeling of freedom, and a student with a sharp mind and a strong will. She balances school, sports, and medical care with a resilience that often goes unseen.

What makes this even more extraordinary is that Avery is doing all of it while living with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease—kidney failure. At this stage, her kidneys function at less than 15 percent, a level that leaves most people exhausted, swollen, and struggling to keep pace with everyday life. Fatigue settles into her bones. Food loses its appeal, and concentration is clouded by the weight of toxins her body can no longer filter.

And yet, Avery keeps showing up. She gets out of bed every day with the same determination she’s always had. She laces up her cleats, even when her body is heavy with fatigue. She laughs with friends, pushes through practices, and insists on living the life she wants, not the one her diagnosis tries to dictate.

Kidney failure is supposed to slow you down. It is supposed to shrink your world. But Avery refuses to let it. Every step she takes, every challenge she faces, every moment she chooses to keep going is proof that she is more than her lab results. Her persistence is not just resilience—it is defiance.

And with that defiance comes big dreams. 

Dreams that reach beyond lab results and hospital walls into the future she is determined to claim. Avery wants to become a lawyer one day, inspired by her Uncle Mark. By day, he is a tax attorney. By night, he is a fierce advocate for tenants facing eviction and the founder of the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center. Watching him use the law to protect people who need it most taught Avery that being a lawyer is not just about the work you do, but the impact you choose to make. She hopes to follow his example and use her voice to stand up for others.

But kidney disease does not pause for ambition. Despite surgery and years of careful management, Avery’s kidney function has continued to decline. As of September 2025, Avery is actively seeking a living kidney donor, with the hope of receiving a transplant before dialysis becomes necessary.

A transplant would change everything. It would mean more energy, more time on the field, and fewer days lost to exhaustion. It would give Avery the chance to stay in school, keep up with her teammates, and focus on becoming the person she is working so hard to be.

Avery is not defined by her diagnosis. She is defined by her tenacity, her humor, and her refusal to let chronic illness shrink her world. Her story is not just about kidney disease. It is about resilience, hope, and the quiet strength of a teenager who keeps showing up, even when the odds press against her.

And this story is still being written.

UPDATE March 8, 2026: Avery has found a match and recieved a new kidney! Thank you to all who followed her journey. Please continue to share this story to bring aware to the need for living donors and the impact Chronic Kidney Disease has, even when it may not be obvious.