Baby Heidi's story: living with kidney disease

Heidi was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease and spent her first Halloween and Christmas in hospital. Now she is thriving, and the next step is to try and get her a kidney transplant.

Our aim is just to give her as much of a normal life as possible.

We met Heidi and her parents Mary and Damien at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Mary and Damian, Heidi’s parents, weren’t sure what was wrong with Heidi when she was born. Weighing only three pounds and four ounces, Heidi was diagnosed with congenital nephrotic syndrome after being seen by the kidney team at the Royal Belfast Hospital.

Mary explains how it was hard being in hospital for so long, and how Heidi is flourishing now she is home with her older sister. Heidi receives infusions every night, and the family’s next step is to try and get Heidi to put on enough weight to receive a kidney transplant.