Spring – An 18-year-old Spring teen is in desperate need of a kidney transplant.
At just two days old, Jalen Lowe needed a pacemaker, and at 13, leg surgery led to a staph infection that shut down his organs. Jalen has also endured four heart procedures, and now, he’s in need of a kidney.
“It would be the biggest thing in the world for me,” said Jalen.
Despite all of his struggles, Jalen recently graduated from Oak Ridge High School with very good grades and is planning to attend college. But with dialysis three times a week for the past several years, his body has taken a beating.
“It does tax the body,” said Tina Piccola from the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. “It taxes the other organs, it taxes everything. So not only has he recovered from organ failure, but we obviously don’t want him to have other issues.”
COTA is working with Jalen’s family to get him the transplant. They all believe the procedure is not only the key to reaching his dreams, but to his survival.
Jalen is a strong young man, but his mother says he’s getting tired and just wants to be normal.
“With his heart, he’ll still have the pacemaker,” said Jalen’s mother Kim Lowe. “But at least we can get the kidney. He can stop the dialysis once that kidney starts functioning good and that would kind of help him live a normal life again.”
To help with Jalen’s medical costs or to see if you are a match for a kidney donation, visit his website at www.cotaforjalenskidney.com.
