Woodlands Villager - News
Woodlands woman, 19, fights kidney problems
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| A degenerative kidney disease, IGA Nephropathy, has caused Courtney Carroll, 19, to spend a large part of her life in an out of hospitals. |
By JAKE MUONIO
The staff at DaVita dialysis center in The Woodlands has a name for Courtney Carroll, who comes in every other morning to be hooked up to the blood filtering machines.
They call the 19-year-old The Woodlands resident and 2007 Conroe High School graduate — who suffers from IGA nephropathy, a degenerative kidney disease that has caused total renal failure — Baby.
“She’s not a child, she’s 19, but her childhood has been about being a very sick person and trying to live a normal life,” said Tami Carroll, Courtney’s mother.
The disease
The first signs of the hereditary disease appeared at a birthday party for Courtney’s sister Moriah. Courtney had fever, felt weak and was “pasty white.”
Doctors in Denver, the family’s home at the time, diagnosed a bladder infection. Prescribed medication only made her sicker. A number of additional tests, including a kidney biopsy, ultimately pointed to dropsy, a symptom related to the kidney condition.
“I really didn’t understand any of it, I was really just a girl,” Courtney said.
After two years in and out of emergency rooms and appointments with a pediatric nephrologist in Denver, the family moved to The Woodlands for access to Houston’s medical care.
In addition to medical chalenges, fighting the illness made life difficult during adolescence, causing Courtney to miss a lot of school.
“High school was...really hard for me,” she said. “I wanted to ignore the fact I was sick. I wouldn’t take my (blood pressure) medication for a year there. .. At one time they put me on steroids, 200 mg a day, and I blew up like a balloon. Kids aren’t always nice. It was really hard.”
Over the years, there have been bouts with spinal meningitis and shingles, strict diet requirements, and staph infections, including one last summer which spread to Courtney’s ear and the lining of her brain. There’s been total kidney failure, which kept doctors struggling to keep Courtney from slipping into a coma for about a week.
Last Thanksgiving was spent in the hospital. The week before Christmas, doctors performed emergency surgery to remove a tube that was implanted in Courtney’s chest to allow for her dialysis.
At one point during the hospital visit she flat-lined, Tami said.
Courtney is now on a waiting list for a cadaver donor of a kidney, a process that typically takes 3-5 years. She has approval from her insurance company for the transplant — which can be a $250,000 procedure — and has gone through classes required for organ recipients.
The best bet, Courtney said, is to find a living donor. Her younger sister Moriah is a match, but at 16-years-old, is considered too young to donate an organ. And doctor’s wouldn’t let Tami donate one of hers because of the potential she could develop health issues.
“(A transplant) has to be done now,” Tami said. “Her doctor...said we’re within about 6 months to try to find a kidney because her veins are not doing well. They’ve got to get a kidney in there.”
Making ends meet
Getting health insurance for Courtney hasn’t been easy either, and Tami has had to solicit the help of U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, for help with insurance.
“I’d give anything to make life a little more normal for her,” Tami said. “Every day we worry about how to keep the lights on, and how to keep the phones on and a roof over our heads. … (I)t takes so much more money when someone in your family is ill.”
The family has received assistance from Suzanne Rogers, who said she worked in the past with a doctor who treated soldiers suffering from Gulf War Illness. Rogers and husband Larry have paid some bills and offered transportation for doctor’s visits. Rogers and a friend in the banking industry, Summer Sanford, are also trying to create a foundation to benefit the Carroll’s.
“I’d like to start up a foundation that either grants her a last wish or enables her to leave a legacy,” Sanford said. “There are so many people that would love to help. We really feel like we’re going to do something amazing.”
how to help
An account has been set up at Capital One Bank to help the Carrolls handle bills and Courtney’s medical expenses. Donations can be sent to the bank at: Account No. 3813518685, 2402 Research Forest Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380. For more information, contact Larry Rogers at 936-718-8218 or by e-mail at lrogers220@aol.com.
They call the 19-year-old The Woodlands resident and 2007 Conroe High School graduate — who suffers from IGA nephropathy, a degenerative kidney disease that has caused total renal failure — Baby.
“She’s not a child, she’s 19, but her childhood has been about being a very sick person and trying to live a normal life,” said Tami Carroll, Courtney’s mother.
The disease
The first signs of the hereditary disease appeared at a birthday party for Courtney’s sister Moriah. Courtney had fever, felt weak and was “pasty white.”
Doctors in Denver, the family’s home at the time, diagnosed a bladder infection. Prescribed medication only made her sicker. A number of additional tests, including a kidney biopsy, ultimately pointed to dropsy, a symptom related to the kidney condition.
“I really didn’t understand any of it, I was really just a girl,” Courtney said.
After two years in and out of emergency rooms and appointments with a pediatric nephrologist in Denver, the family moved to The Woodlands for access to Houston’s medical care.
In addition to medical chalenges, fighting the illness made life difficult during adolescence, causing Courtney to miss a lot of school.
“High school was...really hard for me,” she said. “I wanted to ignore the fact I was sick. I wouldn’t take my (blood pressure) medication for a year there. .. At one time they put me on steroids, 200 mg a day, and I blew up like a balloon. Kids aren’t always nice. It was really hard.”
Over the years, there have been bouts with spinal meningitis and shingles, strict diet requirements, and staph infections, including one last summer which spread to Courtney’s ear and the lining of her brain. There’s been total kidney failure, which kept doctors struggling to keep Courtney from slipping into a coma for about a week.
Last Thanksgiving was spent in the hospital. The week before Christmas, doctors performed emergency surgery to remove a tube that was implanted in Courtney’s chest to allow for her dialysis.
At one point during the hospital visit she flat-lined, Tami said.
Courtney is now on a waiting list for a cadaver donor of a kidney, a process that typically takes 3-5 years. She has approval from her insurance company for the transplant — which can be a $250,000 procedure — and has gone through classes required for organ recipients.
The best bet, Courtney said, is to find a living donor. Her younger sister Moriah is a match, but at 16-years-old, is considered too young to donate an organ. And doctor’s wouldn’t let Tami donate one of hers because of the potential she could develop health issues.
“(A transplant) has to be done now,” Tami said. “Her doctor...said we’re within about 6 months to try to find a kidney because her veins are not doing well. They’ve got to get a kidney in there.”
Making ends meet
Getting health insurance for Courtney hasn’t been easy either, and Tami has had to solicit the help of U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, for help with insurance.
“I’d give anything to make life a little more normal for her,” Tami said. “Every day we worry about how to keep the lights on, and how to keep the phones on and a roof over our heads. … (I)t takes so much more money when someone in your family is ill.”
The family has received assistance from Suzanne Rogers, who said she worked in the past with a doctor who treated soldiers suffering from Gulf War Illness. Rogers and husband Larry have paid some bills and offered transportation for doctor’s visits. Rogers and a friend in the banking industry, Summer Sanford, are also trying to create a foundation to benefit the Carroll’s.
“I’d like to start up a foundation that either grants her a last wish or enables her to leave a legacy,” Sanford said. “There are so many people that would love to help. We really feel like we’re going to do something amazing.”
how to help
An account has been set up at Capital One Bank to help the Carrolls handle bills and Courtney’s medical expenses. Donations can be sent to the bank at: Account No. 3813518685, 2402 Research Forest Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380. For more information, contact Larry Rogers at 936-718-8218 or by e-mail at lrogers220@aol.com.
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