The family of a “kind, caring and resilient” boy from Barton whose life has been fraught with illness is appealing for a kidney donor to come forward and save his life.
Motorbike-mad Teddy Burman, 11, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2022 after doctors carried out tests and discovered his left kidney had no function and was the size of that of an 18-month-old.
His right kidney was “working twice as hard” to compensate for the left, and his kidney function (glomerular filtration rate) was just 19 – below 15 equates to kidney failure.
Initially, it was thought that Teddy – who also suffered with meningitis when he was just 16 months old – would need a kidney transplant when he reached his late teens or early twenties – but his condition has deteriorated so much that he will need to begin undergoing dialysis as early as this summer.
Teddy’s mum Su told Hull Live: “In October 2022, Ted woke up with really swollen lips and I thought he’d been bitten or something in the night, and he had red, hot patches on his arms and pain in his abdomen. My husband took him to the GP and they said he might have appendicitis.
Teddy has spent a lot of time in hospital since his diagnosis in 2022
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“He was referred to the Disney ward at Scunthorpe General Hospital and tests highlighted that Teddy had really poor kidneys, but we didn’t really know how bad it was. His general kidney function rate was just not as it should be.”
Teddy was then transferred to the care of Leeds Children’s Hospital, where scans revealed the true reality of his situation. His left kidney was the size of an 18-month-old’s, and his right was close to failure.
Further tests into the potential cause of Teddy’s declining kidneys showed he had reflux, a condition in which urine from the bladder is able to flow back up into the kidneys through the tubes that connect the kidneys with the bladder.
In June 2023, Su said she and her husband thought “they would lose” Teddy when he was rushed to hospital with sepsis.
Teddy Burman with his parents Su and Anthony
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She said: “He was in hospital really poorly for eight or nine days and we thought at one time we were going to lose him. That was horrific. The sepsis had a real impact on his kidney.
“Initially we were told that we were looking at the kidney transplant and dialysis in his late teens or early twenties, but he’s deteriorated so rapidly that we’re now looking at this summer for him to start dialysis.
“His immunity is so reduced that he’s picking illnesses up all the time, and he can’t recover as quickly. When he’s poorly with a cold he just can’t get rid of it.”
Teddy’s parents, Su and Anthony, are now desperately looking for a kidney donor to save Teddy’s life.
“My husband is a blood match and he’s just had tissue testing to see if that matches, but the results take eight weeks to come back. If he isn’t a match, we need a back-up plan. It just takes that one person to be a match and it will change Teddy’s life forever,” Su said.
Teddy will need to begin dialysis this summer
(Image: Submitted)
The donor needs to meet the following criteria:
- Be aged over 18
- Have A or O blood type
- UK resident
- Not have diabetes
- Not have or have been treated for cancer
- Have a BMI of below 30 or be prepared to reach that by summer
If you think you could help Teddy go on to thrive and lead a normal life, you can email leedskidneyappeal@nhs.net and register your interest.
Su continued: “He’s been absolutely amazing, he is so strong and he takes it all in his stride. He’s been in and out of hospital getting stuck with needles, but he only ever once said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’.
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“He could not give more love to me or my husband. He’s very secure, and we’ve always said to him we wouldn’t put him through anything we didn’t think would help or benefit him. It’s only recently he’s started to feel more anxious about everything. He’s a bit tearful and scared.
“But last week he talked about his kidney problems and shared what he’s been through with his form, and his tutor said he was just incredible. He’s quite a shy kid so that was big for him.
“He’s so resilient, so kind and so caring.”