Milestone transplant surgery saves teen
Throughout most of Heaven Parker-Abner’s childhood, there were no obvious symptoms to indicate she was developing severe kidney disease. But because Heaven was born with a rare genetic disorder, neither of her kidneys developed normally, and when Heaven became a teenager, her health began to plummet.
In August 2023, her grandmother, Emma Abner, became increasingly worried as Heaven lost weight and nothing eased her constant stomachache. When she suddenly became extremely weak, Heaven was rushed to CHKD. “I didn’t think she was going to make it to the emergency department,” Emma says.
Heaven had severe anemia and EKG abnormalities. In addition to low hemoglobin and extremely elevated phosphorous levels, her calcium level was so low that it was hurting her heart, says Dr. J. Bryan Carmody, a
pediatric nephrologist at CHKD. “I don’t think she would have survived much longer if she hadn’t come in when she did,” he says.
Once Heaven was stabilized, she was able to start dialysis, traveling three times a week from her home in Newport News to CHKD’s pediatric hemodialysis unit, the only unit of its kind in Virginia. Each treatment lasted three to four hours. In March 2024, Heaven received the best news: she would receive a kidney transplant at CHKD.
The lifesaving procedure also marked a significant milestone for the CHKD kidney transplant program. Heaven is the 100th kidney transplant recipient – a milestone reached 19 years after the kidney transplant program launched at CHKD. The program is the regional referral center for pediatric kidney transplants in southeastern Virginia, the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and northeastern North Carolina.
Like so many families who have received treatment at CHKD for kidney failure, Emma says she is incredibly grateful for everyone who has been by Heaven’s side.
In fall of 2024, Heaven started her first year of high school. She continues to feel well and enjoys hanging out with her cousins.
“We’re so thankful for CHKD,” Emma says.
Published in CHKD's KidStuff Magazine, Winter 2025
Written by Alice Warchol • Photograph by Susan Lowe
