Hometown: Columbus, OH
Age on Race Day: 8
Diagnosis: Cerebral Palsy, Stage 4 Kidney Disease and Hearing Loss
Natalie was born eight weeks early when her mother experienced severe placental abruption. Due to the abruption, Natalie received little to no oxygen for an extended period and nearly lost her life. Doctors quickly learned Natalie’s kidneys were damaged; she wasn’t producing urine and was retaining dangerous amounts of fluid. They attempted hemodialysis, a medical treatment that uses a machine to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, taking over the function of failed kidneys, but it proved impossible given her tiny veins.
In a groundbreaking step never before tried on an infant so small at Nationwide Children's Hospital, her care team tried another filtration method, peritoneal dialysis. This method uses a surgically placed catheter in her abdomen. Natalie was just 11 days old and weighed only three pounds.
Miraculously, it worked: over several weeks she shed the excess fluid and began to recover. After four months in the NICU, Natalie was discharged on Christmas Eve of 2018.
“It was a day our family will always remember as our greatest gift,” recalls Natalie’s mom, Andrea.
Today, Natalie faces many ongoing challenges. She has severe spastic cerebral palsy, stage 4 kidney disease, and profound deafness in both ears. She uses a wheelchair for mobility and receives nutrition through an enteral feeding tube as she is unable to eat by mouth. She has undergone numerous surgeries and continues to require medical care. Despite these hardships, she has a joyful spirit and an infectious smile.
