Born Without Kidneys, 4-Year-Old Hannah Defied the Odds and Is Now Hoping to Reach the Transplant That Could Change Everything

 For most parents, hearing a baby's heartbeat is a moment of joy. For Jami and her husband, every pregnancy came with heartbreak. Over two decades, they endured the devastating loss of 17 babies while holding onto hope that one day they would become parents. When they finally learned they were expecting again, they never imagined they would soon face another impossible decision—or that their daughter would become one of the rarest pediatric survivors in the country.

At 16 weeks pregnant, doctors delivered devastating news. Their unborn daughter, Hannah, had developed without kidneys, a condition that also prevented the production of amniotic fluid needed for healthy lung development. Her parents were told she was not expected to survive after birth and were presented with heartbreaking options. After years of unimaginable loss, however, Jami says they chose to continue fighting for the little girl they had waited so long to meet.

That decision led them to specialists in Houston, Texas, where Hannah qualified for an experimental medical program designed to give babies with this rare condition a chance at life. Throughout the remainder of her pregnancy, Jami underwent 22 amnioinfusion procedures, allowing fluid to be introduced into the womb so Hannah's lungs could continue developing. Each treatment represented another opportunity to keep hope alive.

Hannah was born prematurely at 33 weeks, and her fight began almost immediately. Just 14 hours after birth, she underwent her first surgery and was started on dialysis to perform the vital work her kidneys could not. The months that followed were filled with intensive medical care, uncertainty, and determination. After spending 182 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, Hannah was finally healthy enough to leave the hospital and begin life at home with her family.

Today, Hannah is 4 years old and continues to amaze everyone who knows her. Every night, while most children are asleep without a second thought, her family performs dialysis as she sleeps to keep her healthy. She has undergone numerous surgeries and overcome repeated medical complications with extraordinary resilience. Her family says she is believed to be one of only about 16 known children in the United States born without kidneys who have survived.

Now, another hopeful chapter is beginning. After several transplant centers determined Hannah's case was too medically complex, doctors at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford informed her family that she has finally reached the point where she can be evaluated for a kidney transplant. For Jami and her husband, it was the news they had spent years praying they would one day hear.

Getting Hannah to California, however, presents another significant challenge. Because her immune system is severely weakened, her medical team has advised that commercial air travel could place her at serious risk of infection. Her family is now searching for a donated private flight that can safely transport her to Stanford later this month so she can undergo the evaluation that could determine whether she is a candidate for a life-changing transplant.

After everything this family has endured, they continue choosing hope over despair. They are asking for prayers that Hannah's evaluation goes well, that a compatible kidney donor is found when the time is right, and that safe transportation becomes available so she can reach the hospital that believes in her future. Hannah has already overcome odds that once seemed impossible, and those who know her believe her remarkable journey is far from over.