Grayson and Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV)

Video Transcript

“I remember very clearly when I met Grayson’s parents for the first time. Grayson was a newborn baby and he had been throwing up, and so they thought he might have a problem with the muscles of his stomach,” says Pramod Reddy, MD, Director, Pediatric Urology. “And so they got an ultrasound, and incidentally, they saw that his kidneys were not normal.”

Josh Keessee, Grayson’s dad, reflects on the discovery, “In the transit of us getting from there to here, Dr. Reddy had called and said that we needed to come on down here. That’s when we found out that Grayson had a condition called PUV, posterior urethral valves.”

Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV) affects about 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 6,000 male babies and can lead to kidney failure, developmental problems and other health issues.

So in Grayson’s case, unfortunately, his kidneys did fail at a young age, and he was on dialysis. Every kid reacts a little differently to dialysis, and it’s not a cure all, but for Grayson, hemodialysis provided hope.

Hemodialysis allowed Grayson to grow and develop and start walking. Ultimately, he got a kidney transplant when he was 2 years old. He’s also had a series of surgeries involving his bladder. Now 4 years old, though he is still non-verbal, he is thriving.

Dr. Reddy says, “We’re privileged to have the world’s first comprehensive Posterior Urethral Valve program. The PUV program brings together specialists from urology, nephrology, dietetics, developmental pediatrics, behavior medicine and social work. Our motto is “cura personalis,” which is Latin for “care for the entire person." We really try to focus on every aspect of the child’s well-being, their quality of life, health and also the burden of care that we impose on the parents to keep their child healthy.”

“They are wonderful when it comes to not only the care they give the kid,” says Josh. There’s a reason they are one of the best in the world at that, but caring for the families and the patients.”

Grayson should be able to live a full life, including going to school and playing sports. He is already an active little boy, with an irrepressible spirit.

Nicole Keesee, Grayson's mom, shares, “For everything he’s been through, he is the happiest child.”

Updated: April 2019