MILTON, Ga. — It’s hard not to feel joy when 2-year-old Emmie grabs her mom's hand and walks toward you with a big smile.
Andi Mahoney calls her daughter a miracle given that Emmie wasn’t supposed to be walking right now. She wasn’t even supposed to be alive.
When Mahoney was pregnant, her 20-week scan showed her baby had a condition called bilateral renal agenesis, meaning she didn’t have kidneys.
“It’s universally fatal,” said Mahoney. “So, we grieved. We thought we were losing our baby, and we were told that there's no hope.”
Hope is exactly what the Mahoney family clung to though, as they prayed for a miracle.
The family traveled all over the country to receive different treatments, before moving to Milton, in hopes of giving their future daughter, Emmie, a chance at survival.
At six months old, Emmie was life-flighted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for treatment for the rare condition.
Dr. Rouba Garro, a nephrologist and medical director of the kidney transplant program at Children’s, said the outcome is usually grim for babies with this condition.
“Because even if those babies survive, still providing dialysis in these small little babies is not easy, even if it's done by experienced teams," the doctor said. "There are potential serious and fatal complications even if the baby survives pregnancy.”
Garro credits collaborations across different healthcare providers and units with the rare but wonderful outcome in Emmie’s case.
“But one very important player in this is the family who has been the incredible advocate for Emmie and, more importantly, a wonderful team player in providing healthcare,” Garro said.
The doctor said a kidney transplant was "the ultimate therapy." With luck, Emmie’s own mom was a perfect match.
“I was a match. I was a match. She has my kidney!” Mahoney said with a huge smile.
For two and a half years, Emmie stayed on dialysis until they could complete the transplant.
“She is doing fabulous. I can go on and on,” said Garro. “It's hard not to fall in love with her. Even when she's hurting, she makes sure that she smiles and brings joy and happiness around her. And now after transplant, it's amazing to watch the growth. She's thriving.”
Garro added that, along with the multiple collaborations, the family also had to make a lot of sacrifices, like moving to different parts of the country for care, to help with this outcome.
“She’s just spreading light and joy and happiness,” said Mahoney. “And I know she's supposed to be here. She's my little miracle. She's amazing.”
Mahoney said she knows this is just the beginning, with more surgeries ahead for her little girl. For now, she said, she’s just enjoying things day by day.