PIKE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – Almost all pediatric kidney transplants are successful, but the journey to and while waiting for an organ can be tedious. Charlie Barron, a seventh-grader at Pike School of Liberal Arts, is facing this. From the outside, she looks and sounds like a normal 12-year-old.
“I love softball and volleyball and I’m sociable,” she said.
Charlie loves her friends, TikTok, and a really good manicure, but this tough tween has faced many medical battles since birth.
“From the time she was five weeks old until now, we spent many weeks at the children's hospital,” said her mother, Kelly Barron.
Charlie has urinary reflux disease, which affects his kidneys. It was around this time in 2023 that she developed a kidney infection, and tests revealed she was facing stage 4 kidney failure.
“His energy levels have changed, his appetite has improved and he has lost a lot of weight,” his mother said.
Once Charlie reached stage 5, he was given a dialysis port.
“I thought I knew I had to undergo dialysis, but I was a little worried,” Charli said.
But there's nothing this 12-year-old can't do.
“They're connected to ports like tubes and pump blood, but you can't feel it,” she said.
Since her return from the children's hospital, Pike County has come to her aid. Her family at Pike Liberal Arts made a donation, and her classmates gave her a gift basket with a handmade card.
“Students are individuals, so there is genuine interest and care for each student. We are a small school, so our students are here, and some of them are from kindergarten through senior year of high school. We have students up to 12th grade, and you're on the journey of life with them,” said Amy Allen, Pike School of Liberal Arts assistant.
“Thank you for doing so much and getting so much, because it would have cost a lot of money. Thank you for your support,” Charlie said.
Charlie receives dialysis three times a week in Birmingham while continuing his studies in Troy.
To contact Troy Bank and Trust about donating to the Barron Fund, call 334-566-4760.
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