PKD Life - Spring 2022 - Cover3

BREATHE
FIND RESOURCES NEAR YOU AT PKDCURE.ORG/GET-INVOLVED 29
" Th ere is no cure for PKD,
but the re is HOPE. Marina is
ou r HOPE to #endPKD! "
Our PKD Story
M arina was born prematurely
in July 2015, shortly after
an ultrasound revealed that she
most likely had PKD. She had to
be resuscitated at birth, and when
she was a few weeks old, genetic
testing confi rmed that she was
born with ARPKD. We were told
she would have severe health
complications, and her chances
of survival were low.
Before the age of 3, Marina had
already lived more than half her life
in a hospital and had undergone
more than 10 surgeries, including
the removal of both kidneys.
She had daily peritoneal dialysis
followed by hemodialysis, and
she suff ered from endless blood
pressure complications, including
a stroke. In April 2018, Marina
received her lifesaving kidney
transplant, donated by her father.
A transplant is not a cure, and
there have been countless complications
and hospital stays posttransplant,
including a severe
case of kidney rejection, several
UTIs, and reimplantation surgery
shortly before her fi rst " kidneyversary. "
Today, Marina is thriving.
She is in fi rst grade and learning
to be her best advocate!
MONICA, MARIO, AND
MARINA GUERRERO
Houston, Texas
@marinaskidneyjourney
OUR ADVICE
Have a strong support system.
As two full-time working parents
and caregivers for a child with
PKD, one of our biggest challenges
has been fi nding the balance in
home, work, and hospital life.
But we are fortunate to have
friends and family members who
help us achieve that balance as
best we can.
Connect with other families.
We have also found that learning
from others living with
similar journeys has helped us
fi nd hope in some of our scariest
moments.
*
COURTESY OF THE GUERRERO FAMILY
http://www.PKDCURE.ORG/GET-INVOLVED
PKD Life - Spring 2022

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