Fighting for life

After hooking himself up to his dialysis machine, Steven reaches across his bed to turn on a lamp so he can read before going to sleep on Thursday night, December 4. The dialysis machine works in stages during the night, filling and draining specific amounts of fluid; the first stage pictured here is a drain cycle that requires Steven to remain relatively still and limits his movement for about 15 minutes until the first fill cycle begins.




Barb Rench gives her son Steven a kiss on the cheek while they make a batch of Christmas cookies at home on Monday evening, December 6. Steven and his mom make cookies together every year as a holiday tradition.




Steven washes his hands before hooking himself up to his dialysis machine on Monday night, Dec. 8. He washes his hands for a full three minutes while wearing a mask to prevent contamination when connecting the tubing with his peritoneal dialysis catheter attached to his stomach.




Steven reads one of his books about cars before going to bed on Monday evening, Dec. 22.




Barb Rench rests her head on Steven's shoulder while sitting in the waiting room of the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Pediatric Specialty Clinic in Iowa City on Friday morning, Dec. 5.




Steven Rench lines up with his classmates before gym class first period at Washington Jr. High School in Rock Island on Tuesday morning, Dec. 16. Steven hadn't yet told his friends or teachers about his condition, saying, "They'll ask too many questions."


I just finished up the biggest project of my internship. Dawn Neuses, one of the reporters at the Dispatch/Argus, and I have been following Steven Rench, 13, of Rock Island and his struggle with end stage renal disease. Every night Steven hooks himself up to a bedside dialysis machine that filters through his body, cleaning his blood during the night, and disconnects in the morning before going to school or taking a weekend trip with his family. Although the dialysis is bridging his life, Steven will die if he does not have a kidney transplant, an operation he will likely undergo in early 2009.

It has been an amazing experience being able to document this family's life for the last month. I probably saw the Rench's just as much as my own family while I was working on this story and even though I've only known them for a short time, it feels like much longer. It's looking like I'll be able to do a follow-up story later in the spring when Steven is further along in the transplant process, which I'm looking forward to very much. I am so grateful to the Rench family for allowing me to get such an intimate glimpse into their lives. Hopefully our words and images do justice to their amazing story. Thanks again.


Slide Show


Video Interview with Steven


Story


-Thanks for looking


All images copyright Patrick Traylor/The Dispatch and the Rock Island Argus