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Teen patiently waiting for kidney transplant after experiencing kidney failure

Mary Jane Rodriguez was at school in Lubbock one day in Lubbock when she realized she couldn't breathe.

SAN ANTONIO — March is National Kidney Month, and a young woman in San Antonio is patiently waiting for the day she’ll receive a kidney transplant.

Mary Jane Rodriguez is now a senior in high school, but even at such a young age, she has gone through so much. Around this time last year, Rodriguez found herself in the nurses office, unable to breathe. 

It turns out, she had kidney failure. For four hours a day, three days a week, Rodriguez receives dialysis treatment at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio. 

She has been receiving this care for the past year, after not being able to breathe one day at school in Lubbock, where Rodriguez is from.

 "I wasn't eating and everything, and I just blew it off as like, oh, I'm just not hungry anyway," Rodriguez said. 

She spent a few days in the hospital where they told her she had kidney failure. After dealing with some medical complications at the local hospital, Rodriguez was flown to San Antonio for treatment.     

"They didn't have their pediatric resources, so they came here," Rodriguez said.

To continue receiving treatment, Rodriguez had to pack up her life and move to the Alamo City with her family.

It’s also forced her to grow up.

"It's like the hardest thing because you lose friends and family sometimes don't always agree with the stuff that's going on," she said. 

Rodriguez said she’s grateful for all the care she’s received.

The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio is one of eight CMS certified pediatric dialysis centers in Texas.

"We actually very capable of serving a huge population of children with kidney disease," Oluwadamilola Ejike, MD, Pediatric Nephrology, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, said. 

Rodriguez is hopeful she’ll receive a kidney transplant soon.

"I get emotional thinking about it because I've literally gone through so much, almost dying and then be able to have a normal life," Rodriguez said.

Christus health provided some things to look out for if you think your child may have kidney issues:

  • Make sure they’re urinating, and keep track of how often
  • Some kids may experience pain while urinating
  • And if your child is frequently wetting the bed at night and during the day

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