Two years after receiving a bowel transplant, Kylie Walleser-Bush, is doing her best to live a normal life, and her family sends a big thank you to the Leesville community for its continued support.
Walleser-Bush was born on February 10, 2006 with a birth defect that caused her bowels to die shortly after birth. Doctors were then forced to surgically remove all but two centimeters of her small intestine, leaving her with Short Bowel Syndrome and the need for a transplant.
"It was a long, bittersweet road to get to where we are today," Walleser-Bush's mother, Joan Walleser, wrote in her Caring Bridge blog. "It really makes you stop and evaluate the important things in life."
On July 18, 2007 Walleser-Bush received that transplant and has been doing her best to make the most out of life. Now three years old, she has participated in her first dance recital, taken her first swim and even had her first trip to Disney World with her family, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish foundation. While these may be common events in an average child's life, for Walleser-Bush they are fleeting moments of joy to be had amid countless surgeries that have defined her short life.
Despite her currently healthy status, the survival rate for children with her condition is only 52 percent.
"I don't think about it," said Walleser, who explained that she and her husband, Kendall Bush, just take each day as it comes and try not to dwell on the negative possibilities for Kylie.
"I pray that she will be a survivor and that she could outlive me, but none of us are guaranteed a long life, so we just don't think about it. We are thankful for each day that we have with her."
If Kylie can make it to the five year anniversary of her transplant, Walleser said her survival chances will then rise to 85 percent.
One thing that the Walleser-Bush family can't ignore though is their finances. The small toddler will have to be on seven medications for the rest of her life, including her anti-rejection drugs, and future surgeries are almost a promise with her condition.
"It's almost a given that she will have more surgeries in the future," said Walleser. "We know they will happen here and there, we just do the best we can at prolonging her time in between them."
Walleser-Bush has already endured several surgeries since her transplant, which included surgically planting central IV lines in her body and even salvaging her teeth after her gums grew over them.
"That was a side-effect of her anti-rejection medicines," explained Wallaser.
All of these medicines and procedures have led to a never-ending pile of bills for the family, and Wallaser said that the love fund still open at the Merchants and Farmers Bank has been a tremendous help.
"It has helped more than anyone would know," she said. "Some days the stress is enough to drive anyone crazy. On those days, I just look at her and tell myself that we have her and that is all that matters."
Walleser-Bush is the granddaughter of Leesville locals Reid and Nancy Fletcher and Nelwin and Donald Bush. At the time of Kylie's transplant, Nancy Fletcher worked at the Leesville Wal-Mart and Walleser said that the Wal-Mart family embraced them with incredible support.
"They held bake sales for us and just adopted Kylie into their family," she said. Since that time, Fletcher has transfered to the DeRidder Wal-Mart, but the employees at the Leesville branch have not forgotten Kylie. "There are many employees there who still have payroll deductions to go into Kylie's account to help. They have all been such a blessing," Walleser said.
Now, Walleser said that the family is focused on keeping Kylie healthy and avoiding sicknesses such as the H1N1 virus. "We are practicing universal protection," she explained. "If anyone in the family is exposed to the virus we automatically begin taking tamiflu."
Kylie also will be receiving the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it is made available, and her mother said that the family's goal this year is to stay out of the hospital during the Christmas holidays.
"We have never had a Christmas at home with Kylie, and we are really hoping to have that this year," she said.
To help with expenses, a few fundraisers are being planned for the near future in addition to the love fund account that remains open at the Merchants and Farmers bank. Anyone wishing to, may donate to the fund from any branch.
Leesville, La. —
