Abby was a patient at Vermont Children’s Hospital even before she was born.  She was diagnosed with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease before birth.  Abby’s parents had already lost two children to this disease shortly after they were born.  After spending some time in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Abby was declared a survivor and allowed to go home. 

This was just the beginning of Abby’s story. Since her infancy Abby has suffered with severe hypertension, respiratory failure, and chronic kidney disease.  This all meant spending much of her young life in the Pediatric Intensive Care and Dialysis Units as well as on Baird 5, the pediatric inpatient floor at Vermont Children’s Hospital.

In 2003, Abby’s kidney failed, making a kidney transplant necessary.  But just when everyone thought Abby was finally in the clear, she was diagnosed with diabetes in December 2003 and then with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, which acts much like lymphoma, in August 2004.  This led her to spend 120 days, including her 17th birthday, in the hospital before being released right before Thanksgiving.

Abby is a true champion. Through all of her challenges, she has not let her health interfere with her life.  Just 3 short weeks after her transplant she was back to showing the sheep she raises, winning Supreme Champion at Addison County Field Days in August of 2003.  Abby was able to return school and graduated with her class at Middlebury High School in June 2006. 

Abby is a vital, talented, self confident, friendly and thoughtful young woman whose goal is to make people smile and be true to her beliefs.  Thanks to her and her parents’ strength and determination, and the talented and dedicated staff at Vermont Children’s Hospital, today, Abby has now graduated from college and pursuing her dreams in photography.

Abby also loves making jewelry for her family, friends, and the staff at Vermont Children’s Hospital.  We think she got some of this giving spirit from her mom, Leslie, who sent 120 roses to the hospital staff after Abby’s recent release… one for each day of outstanding care her daughter received during one of her visits to Vermont Children’s Hospital.