Camryn Frey

Camryn Frey was unexpectedly diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease and a Wilms Tumor in March 2025 at the age of 2.5 years old.  She had always been a high-energy, fun loving child, when she started being fussy, had swelling, and lack of an appetite. After finding out she had high blood pressure, she was hospitalized, and admitted to the PICU. From there she was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome and found to have a tumor on her right kidney. She underwent a bilateral nephrectomy at the end of March, where she also began chemotherapy. She was hospitalized for 6 weeks, and was finally able to come home in the middle of April.

Camryn also began hemodialysis while hospitalized in March, which continued until  she was able to transition to peritoneal dialysis at home in July. Unfortunately, the closest place for Camryn to get dialysis was a 2 hour drive from home, so summer was filled with long car rides and even longer dialysis sessions. Her chemotherapy also finished in August, so the family began a transition to a “new normal” at home, which still meant nightly dialysis as well as tube feeds since her appetite is still poor.

Through all of these challenges, Camryn continues to be resilient, happy and sassy- stealing the hearts of her doctors, nurses and treatment teams. We are hoping Camryn to get a new kidney this summer to help her enjoy doing “normal” 3-year-old things! She is beginning her transplant work up through University of Virginia Hospital.