I saw the video this morning for ESPN’s My Wish series (embedded below). It featured a wish by 15 year old Jeffrey Buzzell, Jr., who is suffering from Alport’s Syndrome.
In ESPN fashion the story is very touching and very good. Jeffrey’s wish was to race go-karts with Dale Earnhardt Jr.; he got more than his wish. You can check the video out below to watch the entire story and see the royal treatment he received from Dale Jr. and several other Nascar drivers.
That’s really cool to see, but the point of this post is to point out the extremely difficult situation this teenager is in. Who knows, maybe someone will run across this post and be moved to see if they are a matching kidney donor? Jeffrey is suffering from Alport’s Syndrome. It is a disease that attacks his kidneys. As you will see in the video, Jeffrey’s kidneys are operating at approximately 18% and without a transplant he will only be functioning on approximately 10% by February of 2011. Jeffrey’s uncle died with this same disease when he was 15 years old, the same age Jeffrey is right now. Both of Jeffrey’s parents have been ruled out as potential donors. I hope Jeffrey’s wish turns into more than just a couple of days with a famous Nascar driver, I know he too wishes for a transplant. Check the video out: