LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Ruger Ennis is just like other 8-year-olds. He likes Minecraft, playing with Legos, eating ice cream, and going swimming.
However, even at his young age, he’s already overcome several medical challenges.
“He was born without kneecaps and his feet were backwards,” said his mother, Haley Schrimsher. “We could never figure out the cause of that.”
Schrimsher said that through surgery and with the help of great doctors, he learned to walk at 3 years old.
With that behind him, they were surprised by what happened at a recent doctor’s appointment.
“We took Ruger in for a sinus infection and had no idea that he had any kidney issues whatsoever,” Schrimsher said.
She said a urine test found elevated levels of protein in his system.
After blood work and some other testing, they got some answers.
“It’s Nail-Patella Syndrome,” she said. “It explains everything that’s going on with him. It affects the kidneys, the eyes, the joints, everything.”
That diagnosis alerted them to serious kidney issues that escalated quickly.
“This came out of nowhere,” Schrimsher said. “He’s never had any kidney issues and boom, now we’re in stage 5 a month later. So the whole progression of it has been really hard to deal with, just totally unexpected.”
Ruger is now on dialysis three times a week. He’s also preparing to undergo surgery on Friday to insert a catheter to allow for in-home dialysis.
“We are also to the point that we have to start looking for a kidney donor,” Schrimsher added.
She said the kidney donor will need to have type O negative or O positive blood. She said the organ donation process is a little complicated, but she’s happy to talk to anyone who is interested.
“I’m willing to talk to anybody who wants to reach out and be a donor, and go over the prerequisites,” Schrimsher said. She and Ruger said finding a donor would mean the world to them.
If you believe you could be a donor match or are interested in helping out, they encourage you to email [email protected].
She said waiting for a donor from the donor list could be a long process.
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