Belington resident Wes Smith is much like many other little kids, and has a few things he loves to do.
“My favorite thing is to play with my trombone and my flute and my gas-powered weed eater,” said Smith.
But live isn’t all normal for Wes. He was diagnosed four years ago with a rare disease that’s let to kidney failure, and although some things stay the same, that means some things are different for his family.
“He has a long port that we have to wrap up to our belly. Then we start our day, and it’s pretty normal for him, as far as running amok and playing and doing all that kind of stuff,” said Wes’ mom, Melissa Charlton-Smith.
One effect of the kidney failure is that Wes’ blood pressure is also out-of-whack, so he and his family have a strict and expensive regimen of medication he has to be on to handle the problem.
“He’s got to have a zillion meds. He gets 10 medications in the morning, and a few in the afternoon, and about five or six in the evening, most of them to help maintain his blood pressure,” said Charlton-Smith.
While some of the costs are covered by insurance, it doesn’t meet all the need. One of those needs is funding for a new kidney. Mom Melissa said they have a potential match, but still don’t have enough to afford the procedure.
“They suggested that we find some sort of fundraising place to start a campaign for him because the out-of-pocket expense can run $30,000 to $50,000 or more,” Charlton-Smith said.
You can find a link to help Wes and his family online here.
Comments